A Teaching Position
by rozisa
Summary: Dr. Banner is told of a teaching position at a private school in New York State by his old friend Hank McCoy. This story is a sequel to my story, "Troll". During his first week teaching, he touches a girl in his class to find that he had passed out and...
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Be nice since this is my first X-Men story. I am uncomfortable doing a crossover. But Troll ended with Dr. Banner mentioning a teacher position near New York City and him talking to Hank McCoy, the Beast. Hopefully, my readers can put two and two together and get four. I don't own any of the Marvel Characters from X-Men or the Avengers. This story takes place after the events of the second X-Men movie because I refuse to believe Professor Xavier is dead. He will live forever! And the first of, hopefully, many Avenger movies. It is also the sequel to Troll which was the sequel of Three Faces of Bruce. The three faces are Bruce, Hulk and Bruce/Hulk as one integrated person. This integrated person was brought about by the events in my earlier stories.

xxxx

The Avengers were called in to prevent some giant robots from destroying oil wells in an Arab nation. Hank Pym claimed they weren't his robots. Bruce had heard that story before. Yay, right, Hank. Stark technology had bitten Tony on the ass a number of times. These robots may have not been built by Hank Pym, but they were, definitely, built from technology stolen from Pym's labs.

Bruce didn't know why a man into bugs would build giant robots anyway. Small robots made sense. Bruce worked on nanotechnology with Betty and might be interested in seeing Pym's work on the small scale robots. If these robots didn't have Pym written all over them, this would just be one oil company sabotaging another and not the Avengers' problem. As it was only 4 of them came, Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, of course, and Tony because he didn't want Hank to clean up his mess alone (although it would serve him right) and Tony had to drag Bruce along.

Tony teased Bruce about needing to keep his shirt on or he could be arrested for indecent exposure. Bruce ended up fighting in a tee shirt and jeans that Hank grew to his size. His black tee-shirt said, "There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who know binary, and those who don't." On his feet were fine leather boots from Asgard. Adding to the ridiculous ensemble were his metal-framed glasses with the impact-resilient lenses. Janet made her own costumes and claimed to have a different one for every occasion. Maybe, she could make him one.

As much as Bruce enjoyed smashing robots, Hank and Janet saved the day by shrinking small enough to get inside the robots to cut their power. Since he was now permanently a large beast of a man, Bruce knew very well that it wasn't how much force you use, but it's h_ow it is applied_. Fury arrived to help clean up the broken giant robots. Now that Bruce was staring down at the one-eyed man, Fury didn't look as scary. "Dr. Banner, you need to have a physical. Company policy."

"Fine," said Bruce. "But if you remove any bodily fluids, I get to watch the lab technicians to make sure everything is disposed of properly."

"You could have the cure to Ebola or AIDS in your blood," said Fury.

"You aren't interested in a cure." Bruce had no cures in his blood. The pathogens simply died because his blood was radioactive at the time and, now that his blood was no longer radioactive, his blood had no special properties. "You want to use my blood as a weapon."

"No, removal of any bodily fluid," said Nick. "We'll just check your height, weight and reflexes. You still fight like the Hulk."

"How else would I fight?"

"Didn't Thor train you?"

"I sparred with the King's men once. I broke a few bones and dislocated someone's shoulder. Thor is the only Asgard warrior that's a challenge. Don't get me wrong; I like weapons. Axes are great for butchering an animal after I snap the beast's neck with my hands."

"I'm glad you're on our side."

xxxx

After Bruce returned to his room at the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, he kissed his wife. "Did you miss me?"

"Always," said Sif. "However, I can understand English when you're gone, so I feel like an outsider when you're here."

"I don't believe in magic," said Bruce. "I don't understand the science of why my presence keeps you from hearing other languages as your native tongue. I'm not doing it on purpose." However, it benefits her because she can learn English while in her husband's presence and they could talk privately in Norse.

"I realize that." Sif pulled him into another kiss, dragged him onto the bed. She rolled on top of him. "I love you."

He looked up at his wife, sitting on top of him. "Do you think I'm too violent?"

"No, you're one of the most gentle people I know."

"Fury seems upset that I'm still that angry little boy that wants to break things."

"Do want do see Susanne, again?"

"I'm not sure," said Bruce. "I'm going to talk to Professor Xavier about it."

"The other professors say he reads minds." Sif rested on top of him, looking into his eyes. "Do you want him to see into those eyes? Look at your beast."

Right now, Bruce wanted to enjoy his pregnant wife. His talk with his new boss could wait. The ultrasound said they were expecting a daughter. In seven short months, Dagmar Edith Banner would be born. Professor Summers took over a dozen students without families to visit on some sort of holiday. In three days, all the students would be returning from summer vacation along with Professor Summers.

xxxx

With Sif sleeping soundly and it still being early, Bruce went for a walk. His feet were going in the direction of Xavier's office. He didn't get very far when a hand grabbed him around the waist. Bruce pushed the hand off him then stared down at Mr. Logan, an unattractive brut of a man.

"Don't touch me!" Bruce growled softly.

Logan growled back. "You don't belong at this school. You're not even a mutant."

Bruce said in a soft voice but threatening voice. "I wasn't hired by you and I'm as much of a mutant as you are."

"Being the victim of a science experiment gone bad doesn't make you a mutant."

"No, living through said science experiment that should have killed me several times over does." Bruce smiled down at the man who looked more like trailer trash than a teacher at a private school. "When I worked for Mr. Stark, he built me a safe room, but Professor Xavier has children to consider and would never have hire me, if I wasn't cured of my condition."

"One dose of gamma radiation and you're the Hulk, again."

"It would have to be a pretty strong dose," said Bruce. "And I'm not planning repeating past mistakes."

"You don't belong here." Logan growled, again.

Bruce stared him down. "I no longer have the Hulk fight for me, so I'm able to kick the asses of people that desperately need their asses kicked myself."

Logan draw out his metal claws. Bruce backed away.

Storm said, "What seems to be the problem?"

Logan withdrew his claws. "Dr. Banner threatened me."

Bruce said, "He started it."

"He growled at me," said Logan.

"You growl at everyone," said Storm. "You can't take a taste of your own medicine."

"Logan never seemed to learn that sticks and stones can break my bones but names will never hurt me," said Bruce.

Storm said, "It sounds like you were both acting like children."

"Logan seems to think I don't belong here because I'm a victim of a lab experiment gone bad when I look at those Adamantium claws one thinks he is talking about himself."

"Children," said Storm.

"I'm glad I'm no longer the Hulk because Logan would have learned what happens when an indestructible object meets an impenetrable barrier," said Bruce. "Although that might have been interesting on a scientific level, I cut and bruise the same as any other man. Tell Mr. Logan he needs to put away the sharp objects. There are children wandering the halls."

Logan huffed and walked away.

"Hello, Dr. Banner, I'm Orono Munroe," said Storm.

"We met when I was hired," said Bruce. "I'm sorry about that."

"You handled yourself well," said Storm. "Logan had no business drawing his claws on a professor."

"It was a threat display," said Bruce. "I doubt he would have used them. I've warned enough people not to make me angry in my time."

"Did it work?" asked Storm.

"It did with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. She put down her weapon and the other guy didn't have to make a mess. But most other people that bother me must want to be ripped limb to limb because she was the first to listen."

"You must be glad to be free of the Hulk."

"I'm now the Hulk full-time with Dr. Banner's intelligence. However, since I no longer adsorb gamma radiation, I'm no longer green or indestructible. When my radiation level got low enough, my green skin started flaking off and I went from indestructible to being flayed by my fellow hunters."

"Flayed?" Storm winced.

"I was a bloody pink mess when my so-called friends were done with me." Bruce winced thinking about it. "I was all healed by the morning, so everything worked out."

"You're still the Hulk?" Storm said.

"All the time," said Bruce. "You don't listen. I was going to talk to Professor Xavier about it. You can come with me, so I won't have to repeat myself."

Storm smiled at him. "I'll walk with you."

"What does Logan teach?" asked Bruce, walking along side Storm.

"He's a student," said Storm. "You were arguing with a sixteen year old."

"He's sixteen?"

"His memory goes back sixteen years. He heals so no one knows how old his body is. It could easily be a couple centuries old. His dog tags were Vietnam era or earlier."

"Ah," said Bruce.

"He's in love with Rogue, but she can't see the lost sixteen year old boy inside the man's body. She can't touch anyone due to her mutation. So it's sad all around."

xxxx

Author's Note: By the way, my son has that same shirt and he gets lots of odd looks from people when he wears it. _How it is Applied_ is a filk by Echo's Children based on the short story, "Labyrinth" by Lois McMaster Bujold. Miles and Taura had a long fulfilling relationship (and they have a bigger size difference than the Hulk and Sif).


	2. Chapter 2

Finally, they reached Professor Xavier's office. He welcomed them without moving his wheelchair out from behind his desk. "Bruce, Storm, do come in?"

Bruce entered the room. "You see inside my mind. Am I two people or one person?"

Xavier's soft voice said, "We are one person for our boss and another for our wife. We all have different parts of our personalities. I can give you a list of philosophy and psychology books to read, but you aren't asking a philosophical question, are you?"

Bruce just looked down at the man. "I just met one of your students."

"Mr. Logan," said Xavier. "He questions your right to be in a school for mutants. You were born a mutant then you had your genes scrabbled by gamma radiation. The Odin cleaned up your scrambled genes and made you whole, again. My old friend, Erik, would tell me once a Jew always a Jew, but that's the rules the bigots play and I rather not play by their rules. I can hire a non-mutant teacher if I choose. However, my students need mutant role models."

Bruce sat down.

"To be a mutant, you would need to be human first, which you are not. You're a scientist. What is one definition of species?"

"Being able to breed successfully," Bruce answered, thinking about his pregnant wife.

"By the way, the next time, Fury asks for a sample of your blood tell him to get one from Thor," said the headmaster. "It would do him the same amount of good. I think being at this school will be a good experience for you and my students. You need to accept yourself as you are, not as you would like yourself to be."

"That doesn't answer the question," said Bruce.

"You need to answer that for yourself." Xavier hit the print button on the computer then, after waiting for the printer shot out a sheet of paper, handed Bruce a list of books to read.

Bruce looked at the list. "Thank you for your time."

-  
Janet van Dyne drove a van she rented for the occasion to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. She and Sif had already went shopping for maternity clothes. Janet loved fashion and the Banners were fashion-challenged to say the least. At the door of the mansion, she was greeted by a black woman with white hair, whose hello had more of the tone of go away.

Janet simply said, "I'm here to see Dr. Banner."

"And you are?" asked the woman. A few teenage girls were standing around her. One had on long gloves, an odd-fashion statement, especially on a warm summer day.

"Ms. Van Dyne," said Janet. "I need to take him clothes shopping. He could teach class in his armor wearing that glorious dragon scale cape of his. There is just enough dragon blood on the bear fur trim to tell people that Bruce isn't a giant to mess with. But I don't see that as appropriate attire for a science/math teacher."

The girl with the long gloves said, "I'll get him."

After the girl and her friends left, the black woman said, "Are you an Avenger?"

To that, Janet said, "Are you an X-Man?"

"I'm Storm," said the woman. "Please, sit down."

Janet took a seat on the sofa in the living room. "I'm Wasp."

A few minutes later, Bruce came into the living room. He was wearing the clothes Tony had Hank expand on his last visit to Earth. She needed to get him few button-down shirts and slacks - clothes that said he taught at a prep school. One jacket wouldn't hurt. "You can get any clothes you want. Size isn't a factor since I will have to expand whatever you buy."

"What about shoes?" asked Bruce.

"You'll need to wear the boots you had made on Asgard," said Janet. "Shoes have the toe, heal, sole and the arch-support; it isn't as easy as just expanding the fabric. Sorry."

"Can we also find some kind of uniform for me? You're always so well dressed."

"Do you still have those purple pants Tony made for you?" she asked.

Bruce nodded.

"Then I'll make you a shirt or vest to go with them. Does that work for you?" Janet said, "Hank could shrink you down to 5 foot 8. Then we wouldn't have any trouble finding you shoes."

"This is the size I'm meant to be," said Bruce.

"You're meant to be 5 foot 8," said Janet. "Hank and I will be here when you decide to be less stubborn."

"I zapped myself with gamma radiation. And that turned out so well," Bruce said with sarcasm. "I rather not be hosed with Pym particles. My genetic make-up is odd to say the least. You can't guarantee a good result."

"Everything has risks," said Janet.

Bruce's deep voice was firm. "And I'm not prepared to take those risks." A few hours later, they returned with professional clothes that Janet had expanded to fit Bruce's large body.

Although she had her own money to spend, it was fun to spend other people's money as a professional fashion consultant. She also had expanded a some jeans, tee shirts, socks and boxer's shorts then picked out a leather motorcycle jacket for Bruce, telling him it gave the same message as the dragon cloak in a more Misgardian style. Tomorrow, it would be back to looking at bugs. Bruce was such a good-looking man. She wished he would let her return him to his former height, but she understood his reasons for refusing.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any Marvel Characters. They belong to Marvel Comics.

xxxx

Rogue woke up surrounded by trees. Not too far away, she could see cars zooming by - the New York Turnpike? So she fell asleep in class. Typical high school prank, dumping her in the woods somewhere. But she didn't get the naked part. Now she had to find clothes before someone touched her and ended up in a coma.

xxxx

His head hurt when Bruce opened his eyes to see his wife holding his hand. "I was tapping Rogue on the shoulder." His voice was higher pitch and his hand fit nicely into Sif's, meaning he was back in his original body. "I must have touched Rogue on the ear or something while trying to wake her up. Is she OK?"

Professor Xavier said, "She is now. She became the Hulk and totaled your classroom, breaking chairs and tossing things. She also left a she-hulk sized hole in the wall when she run out."

Bruce translated for Sif. "She became big and green and acted like I did when I killed the dragon."

"Oh," said Sif.

Bruce said in English, "Professor Xavier, I'm so sorry. Can you explain Rogue's mutant power?"

"She takes a person's life force. In the case of mutants, she adsorbs their mutant powers, but usually by the time she's normal, the other person has their powers back. If she touches someone for too long, she could kill them," Xavier explained.

"Does that mean she needs to watch her adrenaline like I did for over a decade?" Bruce asked.

Xavier said, "We don't know."

Bruce said to Sif. "Honey, give Rogue a magic apple. Also get my small backpack with the straps ripped off. It has clothes in it that will fit me."

Sif kissed his cheek. "I'll be back." Sif left the room.

"The magic apples cured me," said Bruce. "Professor Xavier, Rogue should be alright. I don't have much radioactivity, so she can't adsorb what I don't have. You can check her with a Geiger counter after she eats the apples, if that makes you feel better."

Storm had an arm around Rogue's shoulder as the girl dark brown hair with a white stripe in front walked into the school infirmary.

"Dr. Banner, I'm sorry," said Rogue.

Bruce sat up. His tee shirt making him look like a little boy wearing his father's clothes, he looked at his much smaller hand. "I was tapping you on the shoulder when I passed out, so I must have accidentally touched your skin. It was all my fault. Did Sif give you an apple?"

Rogue showed him the golden apple.

Xavier said, "You should eat that in the danger room that way we can check your radiation level. Professor Banner became radioactive after eating those apples."

Bruce smiled. "This is the first time I woke up in clothes too big for me because someone else became the Hulk and trashed the place. Do you remember anything?"

"I dreamed of being big, powerful and feeling like nothing could stop me," said Rogue "I'm sorry I fell asleep in your class."

"I'll try to be less boring." Bruce smiled. He hadn't felt this calm in years. "I had dreams like that, only they weren't dreams. Those vague images are how I remembered being the Hulk."

"I'll eat the apple and I won't return to being that monster."

Bruce felt like he was slapped, but it was a hallow feeling without anger like sorrow self-directed.

Rogue looked at the man who was a little taller than her, sitting on the bed. Gone was the giant that taught her class hours ago, days? Bruce didn't know how long he had been unconscious. All he knew about Rogue's power was the little he had just been told and a vague warning not to touch her.

"That must have been terrible," said Rogue. "To know you did all that destruction and, possibly, killed people, but you feel like you just woke up from a great dream. I would kill myself."

Bruce smiled at the thought. "The best dreams ever, and I did try to kill myself. The Hulk spit out the bullet."

Rogue looked at her gloved hand. "I think about killing myself. I cry myself to sleep sometimes because I can't touch Bobby."

"I don't think this conversation is good for either of you," said Xavier.

"I disagree," said Bruce. "My psychologist said just because you don't talk about something doesn't mean you aren't thinking about it. It's better to get these feeling out into the open, instead of keeping them bottled up. When I kept my feelings bottled up, I would, eventually, have an incident. After I learned to let myself feel what I was feeling in a controlled way, I went over a year without an incident."

Xavier said, "I'm not actively reading your mind, so don't get upset with what I'm about to say, but your mind is a lot calmer since Rogue touched you."

Bruce laughed. "I was unconscious. I'm still not firing with all thrusters. My mind will return to its normal mess in no time."

Rogue said, "Professor Xavier, is the Hulk inside me?"

Xavier looked into Rogue's eyes. "Eat the apple. Bruce, don't dress in smaller clothes until Rogue eats the apple. Her victims always get their powers back."

Bruce wasn't comfortable about seeing himself as a victim since he had touched her after he was told never to touch Rogue. No one told him why. There was probably something on the news or it was general knowledge to anyone who didn't spend most of the last three years on another planet.

After Sif came into the room with the backpack, she tossed it onto the bed beside her husband.

"Everyone leave the room," said Bruce. "I'd like a moment alone with my wife."

Professor Xavier escorted Rouge out of the room, hopefully, to the danger room. The quicker she ate the apple the better.

Sif hugged Bruce and cried. "Are you going to stay small?"

"I may get big, again, when we return to Asgard. Then, again, I may not. I don't know." Bruce put a hand on her belly. "Let's worry about that baby. I love you."

Sif sat beside her now smaller husband and put an arm around him. "Now I'm the one who needs to be gentle. You said, if you changed back, you could forget being married to me."

"I didn't change back. I had the Hulk sucked out of me." He stayed in his oversized tee shirt since Professor Xavier said he could return to what had been his normal size for the past three years after Rogue ate the apple or at any time before since her victim always got their powers back. "I'll need to get another pair of glasses before I can teach."

"Another professor can drive you into town," said Sif.

"I don't need to go to Manhattan," said Bruce. "I can have any eyeglass store call my eye doctor for the prescription. Are you OK with this?"

"I fell in love with your mind as well as your body." Sif took his hand and looked into his eyes. "Your body looks the same, only a bit more compact. Same curly brown hair streaked with gray. The same beautiful brown eyes." She run her fingers down his arm. "Same muscular arms."

xxxx

Author's Note: It is hard to write chapter where the two characters don't remember the incident. I do have Bobby talk about it a bit in the next chapter, but Bobby is an observer. In one of my Harry Potter fanfictions on another site (WWOMB), I have two characters have their minds wiped. So I've written this type of scene before, and I wasn't comfortable about writing that one either. All comments are appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I don't own any of the Marvel characters. The descriptions of Bruce's first experiences with being the Hulk come from _Hulk. _Since the flashback sequences in_ The Incredible Hulk _tell a different story of how the Hulk came into being, I decided to ignore them and go for the story in the first movie. In the movie _Hulk_, the Hulk didn't kill anyone until the military got into his face. It isn't that I don't like the origin story in _The Incredible Hulk_. I just prefer a fleshed-out story then one told in flashback. YMMV.

xxxx

"I should wait for the nurse to check me over before I go back to our room." Bruce screamed, "She ate the apple!" He put his hand in front of his face. Not green - good. He was still 5 foot 8, but the Hulk was back inside him where he belonged. "Professor Xavier saw the Hulk in Rogue when he told her to eat the apple."

Sif touched Bruce's face, rubbing her finger along his check. "You weren't radioactive right away."

"I was. It just took two weeks for my radiation levels to get low enough that I became vulnerable enough for my skin start peeling off." Bruce put his hand over hers. "I'll have to stay put until the nurse gets back."

Finally, the school nurse got back and took his vitals. "You can go back to your room if you like. Mrs. Banner, keep him in bed for 24 hours."

Bruce translated. "She will with pleasure." After removing his oversized shirt, Bruce grabbed his backpack to put his clothes on.

xxxx

A few hours later, after Sif and Bruce were back in their room, there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" asked Bruce.

"It's Rogue," said a female voice with a Southern accent.

"You may come in," said Bruce. "But you have to be careful."

"I'll be careful," said Rogue.

"Please, stay near the door," said Bruce. "You touch me and you'll grow out of your clothes, again. It's not that I don't trust you; it's just that I worry about my wife and my unborn child."

"Dr. Banner, we can talk in the hall."

"Thank you," said Bruce.

"Are you sad that you're small?" asked Rogue.

"I'm comfortable being the size I am." Bruce shut the door to his room from the outside. "And I'm taller than you. When I woke up in the infirmary, my anger and other primitive emotions were gone since they were still inside you. I can't ask you to hold my nastier emotions."

"That monster that destroyed your classroom," said Rogue. "You feel him in your head all the time?"

"Not all the time," said Bruce. "I taught myself yoga and meditation, so I can control it. Being busy also helps. When he was in you, I felt dead inside."

Bobby joined Rogue in the hallway and put an arm around her, only touching her clothing. "Piotr carried you into the hallway. Piotr and I had to pull you away from Rogue," said Bobby. "We were sure you were dead."

"I'm Asgardian," Bruce laughed. "Sif and I couldn't have a child together if I wasn't. I have a lot of life force."

"Are you OK now?"

"As right as rain," said Bruce. "But the school nurse told me to stay in bed for a day. I think Professor Xavier doesn't want to give up teaching physics as much as he claims."

Bobby smiled but Rogue didn't.

"I was telling Rogue I need my more primitive emotions the same as everyone else," said Bruce "When Rogue became me, I felt dead inside like all my joy and sadness had been sucked out of me."

"I didn't become you," said Rogue. "When I touched the first boy I kissed, I felt him inside me, and let's just say touching Magneto made me hate people who say the Holocaust didn't happen even more. Sometimes I forget that my arm isn't the one tattooed. When I became Logan, I remembered terrible things. Things I wouldn't repeat to respect his privacy, but with you, all I got was a very pleasant dream."

Bruce smiled. "Then I'm glad I gave you good feelings."

Bobby said, "You feel good after tossing your professor around like a ragdoll then destroying a classroom?"

"The Hulk protected me from feelings I couldn't handle," said Bruce. "I had DID, also known as Multiple Personality Disorder. The Hulk took care of my anger and I woke up as happy as a clam, which only made me feel more guilty."

Rogue said, "I don't have Multiple Personality Disorder."

"You became me when I touched you," said Bruce. "I'm integrated now. The Hulk and Dr. Banner exist inside me as one person. My friend, Mr. Stark, told me there is no Dr. Banner without the Hulk. Until today, I never understood how true my friend's words are."

"You and Ironman were Avengers," said Bobby. "You saved the world a few years ago."

"A lot of people had a problem with calling the Hulk a hero," said Bruce. "Myself included. However, I'm Mr. Stark's hero."

"That embarrasses you," said Rogue.

"We're best buds." Bruce beamed. "The Banner Ceramic went into production after I left for Asgard. He could have took all rights, but his CEO, Ms. Potts, helped me incorporate. I returned after 3 years a very rich man."

"But you're Bruce Banner," said Bobby. "The Dr. Banner that made the ceramic that changed the auto industry is a Robert Banner."

Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "My legal name is Robert Bruce Banner. Do you want to see my driver's license?" He didn't have a driver's license, but he had a picture ID for non-drivers from New York State.

Bobby gushed, "You're like totally famous. People talk about the fact no one knows who this Robert Banner is. They say he must be a recluse like Howard Hughes."

Bruce and Rogue laughed.

"People will know who Robert Drake is." Bruce saw potential in Bobby. He was one of his brightest students. "I've always been a private person. They would choke on their cookies, if they knew the Hulk made computers and electric cars faster. Well, everything that uses electricity more efficient and faster. Tony teases me that the Nobel Prize committee is will freak when they give a Nobel Prize to the Hulk."

"Why do you work here if you have millions?" asked Rogue.

"Because I think I can give something to you children," said Bruce. "I understand what it is like to be different and hated for those differences."

"The Hulk killed people," said Bobby.

"The Hulk would have minded his own business if General Ross and Major Talbot didn't attack him," Bruce said in a sad voice. "I don't blame the government. They saw him as a threat. The Hulk fed off anger and shooting him with guns and bombs only made him more angry. It was a vicious cycle."

Tony Stark had ended that vicious cycle before they met. If Pepper never slipped and told him, Bruce would never have know that Tony met General Ross in a bar and told him they were putting together a team. Tony had made it sound like the team would finally rid the world of the Hulk, which it did, because Tony understood that the Hulk needed love and acceptance.

Rogue said, "Dr. Banner stood up to Professor Xavier and told him that not talking about uncomfortable topics doesn't mean we aren't thinking those things."

"Like you and Logan," said Bobby. "I see how he looks at you."

"I touched him and he touched me. I can't have you or him or anyone." Rogue pushed Bobby away. "I take other people's powers away, but no one can take my power away." Then she ran down the hall, crying.

Bobby stared at Dr. Banner a second.

"You two need to talk and I need my rest." Bruce went back inside the bedroom he shared with Sif. He rested against Sif and his hand went to her small baby bump. "I can't imagine what it is like not to be able to be touched. Even during the loneliest periods of my life, I touched someone to take a pulse or give a reassuring hug. That poor girl."

"If this is too much for you, we can live at Stark Towers until the baby is born," said Sif. "You can tell Professor Xavier no."

"I gave Professor Xavier my word," said Bruce.


	5. Chapter 5

Sif didn't give Professor Xavier her word. After Bruce was sleeping soundly, she took her handbag and went to Professor Xavier's office. "Professor, we need to talk."

"Mrs. Banner, please, come in."

Sif walked into the room, shut the door then took a seat. "My husband doesn't know I'm here."

"What do you need to talk about?" asked Xavier.

"You know why I'm here," said Sif.

"Please, tell me," said the professor.

"My husband tapped a child on her shoulder because she fell asleep in his classroom and he ends up nearly dying. I don't think that is an acceptable risk," said Sif. "He wants to keep his job. Could you ask him to leave?"

"You want me to fire your husband?"

"Is that such an odd request? We have money. I can pay for the damages to the classroom." She put her handbag on the desk and opened it to take out her checkbook.

"I don't want your money," said Xavier. "Bruce isn't going to touch Rogue, again."

"It isn't just Rogue," said Sif. "A child here make electricity appear in her hands. I've seen it. I came to Misgard for prenatal care. My husband tells me its an easy job teaching science and math to gifted children. When I met my husband, he told me he was a mutant. I understand his need to give back, but I'm frightened."

"You have dragons and giant snakes on your home planet," said Xavier. "Are a bunch of school children more scary than that?"

"I'm terrified of dragons," admitted Sif. "Just ask my husband."

"No dragons here," said Xavier in his annoyingly calm voice. "You go back to your husband. Everything will be alright."

Sif picked up her handbag and got out of her chair. "I'll go back to my husband." She walked back to their room in the mansion, not knowing why she was going back. After putting away her handbag, she took off her jacket and went back into bed beside her husband, who was still sleeping. She had came so close to losing him. As she touched his face, tears rolled down her cheeks. Resting against him, she felt the fall and rise of his chest.

Two boys had to pull him away from Rogue. Sif didn't know what Professor Xavier meant by sucking out his life force, but she didn't want her husband to die. She remembered the last time he was sick. At least, this time he wasn't in any pain. He was just tired, but he had already slept over a day.

xxxx

The next day, Bruce returned to teaching. "I, obviously, need to make this class more fun. I can't have any of my students falling asleep, again."

Some of the students giggled.

"Let's play Science Jeopardy today. Each table is a team."

Jubilee raised her hand. "Did you ever teach before?"

"I taught at a college," said Bruce. "But I never taught high school before. This is a private school, so I can assume you all want to be here and are ready to learn."

Kitty giggled.

"I didn't know about Xavier's School when I was your age. You're so lucky to have this school. I'm only going to be here until Professor Xavier can find a permanent replacement for Dr. Grey since my wife and I plan to return to Asgard after our daughter is born." Bruce said, "Theresa, would you like to hand out the answer sheets?"

Theresa walked over to the teacher's desk.

"Each table gets one," explained Bruce. "You need to supply the questions. Since I didn't bring buzzers, you will have to raise your hands."

Theresa started handing out the answer sheets.

"Logan, I know you're out there," Bruce said, walking toward the door. "My sense of smell is almost as good as yours. Next time you want to lurk, take a bath or drink a little less beer. Kitty and Jubilee need a third. You can be on their team."

Logan entered the classroom and, sheepishly, took a seat by the two girls.

Bruce looked at his answer sheet - it was a blur. Then he took a magnifying glass out of a bin and used that to read the first row on the answer sheet. "Table one goes first. You can discuss the question before you raise your hand. If you get it wrong, another table has a chance to steal."

After class, Bruce walked over to Logan. "You did pretty good."

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "Science isn't my thing."

"So I heard Rogue landed you in the infirmary twice. Storm also tells me you're sixteen. I don't see any more gray hair on my head." Bruce smiled slightly. "A few more, but not enough to explain why a sixteen year old looks like you."

"I have amnesia," said Logan.

"I saw you heal after you withdrew those claws. Someone had to have given you a massive cerebral hemorrhage or shot a bullet into your eye that ricocheted around your Adamantium skull, but that would suggest that more than your claws are Adamantium." Bruce smiled at him. "Sorry, I'm a doctor. If the damage was done by either a stroke or a foreign object turning your brain into Swiss cheese, you can give up on trying to remember because gray matter isn't there to remember."

"Thanks, Doc." Logan didn't sound thankful.

"Professor Xavier should tell you these things," said Bruce. "He must be keeping you in the dark for a reason. Storm was the one who told me you were sixteen and a student here. I'm sure the other professors wouldn't mind if you sat in on their classes."

"I'll consider it," said Logan.

"Would you like to join my wife and I for lunch?" Bruce found Sif reading a children's book in the library.

"Hello, Logan," said Sif.

"Hello, Mrs. Banner," said Logan.

"Sif," said the expectant mother.


	6. Chapter 6

Logan lead them to a kitchen. Bruce took out a pan and started cooking some curry then he put some rice and water into the rice cooker. Sif lead Logan into the living room. Several children were watching TV. Since Sif could understand the children but not the TV, they had walked far enough away from her husband.

"We can talk now," said Sif.

"I don't understand," said Logan.

"Neither does Bruce," said Sif. "Back when we were dating on Asgard, he wanted to hear Asgard poetry in the original tongue. Since then, he went from only not translating for himself to being a walking Tower of Babel. Bruce does most of the cooking at home. He makes the best dragon sausage. Jane gave him some Misgard spices. Fry them in a pan with turnips and carrots and you are in Valhalla."

"I'll take your word on it," said Logan.

"Since there isn't much call for doctors on Asgard, he makes a living selling handcrafted furniture," said Sif. "Bruce hasn't picked up a science book in years; yet, he wants to stay. Then he wasn't the one, who had to watch him sleep for over a day while his bruises healed. What do you do?"

"Lurk in hallways, according to your husband," said Logan.

"What else do you do?" Sif smiled.

"Babysit when necessary," said Logan.

xxxx

Bruce said, "I made Thai Curry Chicken with canned vegetables and rice. I don't know how long that coconut milk was sitting in the cabinet, so I hope it's OK. On that note, I suggest only Asgardians or mutants, who don't fear botulism eat it."

Bruce then said for Sif's ears. "I told the others it had germs in it that we are immune to. It should be fine, but I don't want a dozen kids trying to get a sample."

Sif sat down at the kitchen table with Logan as Bruce served the food. Rogue joined them.

"Aren't you worried?" Bruce took his full plate and sat down beside his wife.

"No, you were in a class full of mutants and you were the only one that could smell Logan in the hallway," said Rogue. "Smell is more important than taste when it comes to the flavors of food. You couldn't tolerate food that was the slightest bit rancid."

"You're a smart girl." Bruce took a forkful of chicken and forced himself to chew and swallow. "Do you think the others will figure that out?"

"If they liked curry that coconut milk wouldn't have been sitting in the cabinet for so long," said Rogue.

Logan said, "You are a good cook. Next time, we need beer."

"No beer on campus," said Bruce. "But we can find a bar after the children are tucked into their beds. How would you like to go shopping for a hog?"

"I've been stealing Cyclops' vehicles but I could use one of my own,' said Logan.

"It's a date." Bruce took another bite of food. The food tasted OK, but he didn't feel much like eating. Still he needed his strength.

"I want to feel the wind in my hair, too," said Rogue.

"You, sweet pea, need to wear a helmet," said Logan.

"What are you talking to Logan about?" asked Sif. "I heard the word pig. It isn't food, again?"

"No, dear," Bruce explained in Norse, old Norwegian. "I was planning on buying a vehicle. People don't ride horses on Misgard. I want a motorized bike, big enough for the two of us plus the baby. My friend, Steve, can get us a good one."

"You aren't the total dork I met in the hallway," said Logan.

"You should have seen me riding into battle on a borrowed motorcycle wearing borrowed clothes," said Bruce in English.

Piotr came into the kitchen. "Any food left?"

"Help yourself," said Bruce. By now, students were filling plates and bowls and taking them into the living room.

Douglass, another student, sat by Sif and whispered something into her ear.

Sif said in slow broken English, "Logan, Doug-lass teach me English, good?"

"Douglass is good with languages," said Logan.

"You go drink with Bruce," she said. "Good for you and Bruce."

After his plate was empty, Bruce went back to the stove to get more. All that was left was a few grains of rice. Rogue wasn't the only one that knew his nose would never let him eat rotten food. Most of the students here were gifted in more than one sense of the word. After he put the dishes in the dishwasher, he went back to the classroom with the broken windows and part of the wall missing because of a she-hulk to teach his afternoon class to the younger students.

While he was looking at the hole in the wall, Storm came in. "You OK?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" asked Bruce. "Rogue did this damage because of me. I'm not safe to be around."

"Bruce, none of us are safe to be around," said Storm. "That's why the Professor built this school."

"If being cured means feeling like I did when Rogue had the Hulk inside her, I don't want to be cured," Bruce stated. "I've had enough therapy that I don't hate myself for admitting that. Wow! Don't you have a class to teach?"

"History and Social studies," said Storm.

"Go. I'll be OK," said Bruce.

Storm touched him on the arm then walked away. For a few seconds, Bruce watched her go. Then he opened his book. He would teach the younger children some math tricks then it was breaking them up into groups to teach them on their own levels. For science, it was simple machines.

They didn't see Rogue change, so he didn't have to go easy on them. He didn't have to demonstrate to them that he was still the teacher and everything would be OK. These children had soldiers try to shoot them with tranquilizers in the middle of the night. They knew their world could be turned upside down in a second. They may not know the details, but they knew Dr. Grey didn't return after that horrible night. Just being the substitute teacher for Dr. Grey made his job hard to impossible. Watching the children take their seats, Bruce smiled and waved to them. 


	7. Chapter 7

That night, borrowing Professor X's van, Bruce and Logan went to a local bar. After seeing Bruce sit down at a booth, Logan went to get their beer. "What will you have?"

"The strongest darkest draft they have on tap," said Bruce. "Nothing here can compare to Asgard ale."

"A pitcher of your darkest ale," said Logan, "And two mugs and just keep it coming. My friend will be paying."

Logan joined Bruce at the table. "Can you get drunk?" Logan asked.

"If I drink enough," Bruce said. "I've seen Thor drunk, so it is possible."

"I heal faster than I can drink, so I never get more than a bit tipsy," said Logan, "but it's fun trying."

"It sure is," said Bruce. When the waitress put the pitcher and two frosted mugs on the table, Bruce paid her. "Keep the change."

She smiled at him and put the money in her blouse.

"Frosted mugs. Everything is cold on Asgard," said Bruce. "You don't know winter until you're buried under two meters of snow."

"Sounds like Canada."

Bruce filled both their mugs then drank nearly half of his in one gulp. "My friend, Steve, don't drink because he metabolizes the alcohol out of his blood too quick. He's missing the point."

"Shit," said Logan. "It's the chase."

Bruce refilled his mug. "I'm caught."

"Did she catch you or did you do the chasing?"

"She caught me," Bruce said. "I was wearing a blanket and she puts her little hand over my big green thumb like I'm the sexiest man alive. Here I am the Incredible Dork (as Tony would say) sticking my foot in my mouth with every other word and she kisses my cheek."

"With Jean, my foot went in my mouth a lot and she still kissed me," said Logan. "She's gone now then there is Scott."

"So that's Professor Summers' first name," teased Bruce. "I thought it was Jackass."

Logan laughed then lit his cigar. "You don't mind."

"It isn't going to hurt you and it isn't going to hurt me." Bruce drank a bit of his beer, slower this time. "So do you have any suggestions on warming up to Professor Jackass since I do have to work with him?"

"Don't call him that to his face," said Logan. "That's my job."

xxxx

After they left the bar, the van was pulled over. The cop asked Logan to get out. He got outside. "I need you to walk a straight line."

Logan did so. "Officer, I'm not drunk."

"I need to see your license."

"I don't have one," Logan admitted.

Bruce got out of the van, showing the officer his empty hands. "Sorry, officer."

"Do you have a driver's license?" asked the officer.

"Sorry, sir, I don't," said Bruce. "I lived in New York City before coming here and you can go everywhere by mass transit."

"We'll have to impound the car until the owner can collect it," said the officer. "Please, tell me it wasn't stolen."

"We kind of borrowed it from the school where we work," said Bruce.

"May I, please, have the registration?" said the officer.

Logan took the registration out of the glove box.

The officer looked at it. "Charles Francis Xavier. Handicapped plates."

Logan said, "Professor Xavier is a paraplegic and it's his van."

Bruce said, "Now we look like we stole a disabled man's van."

Logan was looking at the ground. "Professor Xavier won't press charges."

The office used his cell phone. "We have two mutants caught leaving a bar. They aren't drunk, but neither one has a driver's license. They were driving a van with handicapped license plates. They claim they borrowed the vehicle." There was a pause in the conversation. "No, they haven't attacked me with fireballs." Another briefer pause. "We have the mutant here that was shot in the head back in Boston. The kid with the fire isn't here. They appear to be co-operating."

"Can we walk back to the school?" asked Logan.

"After we call the owner about the van," said officer. "If he doesn't want to press charges, you're free to go."

They stood outside the bar for a few minutes while the cop made more phone calls then said, "You're free to go. Mr. Xavier will have to pick up his vehicle from the impound lot."

After the van was towed away, Bruce took out his cellphone. "We're at Frank's Bar." He gave him the address. "Can you pick us up after you get the van from the impoundment?"

"I should make you walk," said Xavier. "Logan I understand, but I expect better from you."

"I didn't do anything wrong," Bruce tried to defend himself. "How was I to know that Logan doesn't have a license?"

"He doesn't even know his first name," said Xavier. "And you are a rocket scientist."

"So I helped Mr. Stark make his suit able to tolerate the conditions in outer space, in case, I'm not there to catch him next time, that doesn't makes me a rocket scientist, maybe; it does." Bruce giggled. "And when someone offers to drive me somewhere because I don't have a driver's license, it isn't that unusual to assume that they do or they wouldn't be offering. I may be a bit drunk."

"Why don't you have a license?" asked Xavier.

"Because General Ross with a couple phone calls took away every privilege he could from me: my driver's license, my passport and my medical license. I'm still technically a fugitive. I'm so glad that officer didn't ask for my name or fingerprint us. I don't need to show up on General Ross's radar, again."

"I would handle Ross," said Xavier.

"Are you picking us up or are we walking?" asked Bruce.

"Cyclops will pick you up," said Xavier.

"Joy," said Bruce.

"Stay at the bar and stay out of trouble." Xavier hung up.

"I heard," said Logan. "I'll go back inside."

xxxx

Author's Note: I know you are reading my story. I can see the traffic. Please, review.


	8. Chapter 8

Logan went to sit at the bar.

Bruce sat beside Logan. "I'll have a pitcher of your darkest ale."

The bartender said, "We serve by the glass unless you want a table."

Bruce said, "We just had our vehicle towed away. So now would not be a good time to make me angry."

Logan smirked.

Pouring Bruce and Logan mugs of the darkest ale on tap, the bartender asked, "What is so funny?"

After taking a sip of the ale, Bruce said, "You don't want to know."

"Fine," said the bartender. ""Why was your car towed?"

"Because neither of us have a license," said Logan.

"Why did you offer to drive me if you didn't have a license?" asked Bruce. "Don't you know cops like to hang out around bars to pick up drunk drivers?"

"I never had a problem before then I guess Canadian cops are more laid back then New York ones," Logan said.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "No kidding."

"You don't have a license, either."

"I wasn't driving," said Bruce.

Two women entered the bar. One of the woman yelled at the bartender, "Frank, did you hear about the Hulk sighting a few days ago?"

"What of it?" asked the bartender.

"I saw it. It was a different hulk than the one that battled the aliens. This one is female. She has long brown hair with a white streak in front."

Bruce drank more of his ale, so Rogue's morning run didn't go totally unnoticed by the neighbors.

"Female?" asked Frank.

"She didn't have any clothes on," said the woman. "It's hard to miss breasts that size. It's a shame no one took a photo."

"A female one?" said Frank. "One hulk is an oddity. Two and they're soon breeding."

"Boy hulks, girl hulks and baby hulks," said Bruce, slurring his words a little. "Hulk smashed."

"Bruce, you're drunk," said Logan.

"I never been drunk before," said Bruce.

Logan took a sip of his beer. "You never been drunk? Not even in college."

"I was a good boy in college and rode my bike to school every morning, did my work and rode home," Bruce said.

"How old were you when you went to college?" asked Logan.

"I was fourteen when I started college. That isn't nothing. Hank graduated Harvard at fifteen." Hank McCoy, the Beast, was the youngest person to graduate Harvard, and as far as Bruce knew that title still held. "I only went into a high school to take physical education, and now I'm teaching. Life is funny."

Frank said, "I'm cutting you off."

"Why?" Bruce gave him his best sad eyes.

"Because your students don't need a hungover teacher."

Logan walked Bruce over to a booth. Bruce put his head on the table and promptly fell asleep.

xxxx

After about a hour or two, Cyclops arrived with the van. "Let's go," he said in that superior voice that said_ I don't drink, I don't smoke or do anything fun_. Just, maybe, Bruce read too much into his smugness. And he was just a man that couldn't deal with his grief well and took it out on everyone. Nay!

When they were in the van, Bruce said, "Why did he think we were mutants?"

"Someone must had seen how much you drank and only mutants wouldn't be drunk," Cyclops said, "Or dead."

"Logan didn't put any holes in the cop and the Hulk didn't smash his car," explained Bruce. "Then he was smart enough not to arrest us. He and his friend were talking about another time the cops got involved with mutants. Logan, now that we aren't in the bar, who threw fireballs and why did the cops shoot you?"

"The kid that threw the fire left with Magneto," said Logan, "And the cops asked me to drop my weapons."

"And he can't," said Cyclops. "Any more dumb questions?"

"The cop didn't want to go easy on us," said Logan. "However, I did walk away after getting a bullet in my head."

Bruce smiled. "I think he was going over his options."

Cyclops said, "The professor confirmed that you both work for the school and he wasn't pressing any charges. You were lucky. He could have still charged Logan with driving without a license."

Bruce said, "The next time, we walk."

"No next time." Logan growled. "Bruce babbles when drunk."

Cyclops said, "What did you say?"

"Nothing that made sense." Bruce thought a second. "I did say 'Hulk smashed.' The people who want to kill me or take me home for lab experiments know where I am at all times, so it's no big deal."

"Take you home for lab experiments," Cyclops repeated. "Bruce, you are still drunk."

"So what? Being drunk is good for me. Alcohol is a sedative - it makes it harder for the Hulk to come out," said Bruce. "More than a few people want a pet hulk. The problem is I'm not exactly housebroken. Can I go back to sleep?"

Cyclops looked at Logan. "You're right. He does babble."

"Why don't you have a license?" said Logan. "And don't give me shit about staying off the radar because Stark giving you a paycheck put you on the radar."

"As I told the officer, I didn't need one in Manhattan. Also I tend to stay away from stress-filled situations and driving tests are about as stress-filled as they get," said Bruce. "I stay away from potential global catastrophes and other stress-filled situations. Fury insisted that I help out with the potential global catastrophe thing, but he did it the easy way."

"I'm missing the punch-line," said Logan.

Bruce explained, "He sent a sexy agent to talk to me, so the other guy wouldn't make a mess."

Cyclops said, "Why didn't you take Wasp up on her offer?" That came out of the blue. Or not, Cyclops, probably, saw her as another sexy agent Fury sent to do his bidding. Wasp was a bit easier on the eyes than Fury.

"Because those Pym particles aren't too stable and I could have ended up a few millimeters tall," explained Bruce. "Also people tend not to provoke a giant. I really don't want the other guy to make a mess. I've even walked off willingly with General Ross when given the option. It's water under the bridge since I'm back to my normal height due to touching Rogue."

Cyclop went hmm. "Is that the only reasons you turned Wasp down?"

"Logan, please, let me call him Professor Jackass," said Bruce. "You get first dibs tomorrow."

"Since I'm the one with the driver's license," said Cyclops, "you should show some respect. I could make you walk the rest of the way."

"Professor Summers, could you, please, take me to the DMV tomorrow?" Bruce said in his sweetest voice.

"Now you're just being sarcastic," said Cyclops, "But you need to think about getting your own vehicle once you pass your test."

"Logan, you can have my motorcycle once I'm back in Asgard," said Bruce. "Once I have a license, we can go to Canada and see if we can find out your full legal name. You have dog tags - that means you've been fingerprinted and probably have your photo in some military archive."

"I can go alone," said Logan.

"Don't slam the door on your way out," said Cyclops.


	9. Chapter 9

The following morning, Logan had already left for Canada. With Cyclops taking Bruce to the DMV, Storm and Professor X were the only teachers on campus. Bruce needed to get new eye glasses to pass the eye examine before he could take the written test and schedule a road test. While they were waiting at the eye doctor, Bruce said to Cyclops, "See stressful."

"No, stressful is someone giving me an eye exam," said Cyclops.

Bruce smirked.

"Why do you dislike me?" Cyclops asked.

"I don't dislike you," said Bruce. "You aren't the type of guy I could be friends with. You're too straight-laced, and after my years being on the run - you wouldn't sell me for a couple of pesos - I can deal with that. Hey, there has been times in my life that I've screwed someone over for a couple pesos."

"What are you saying?"

"That you would tell the authorities you spotted the Hulk because it's the right thing to do."

Cyclops picked up his cellphone. "I have a phone right here. Who should I call? General Ross? President Obama? You tell me."

"Don't fuck with me," said Bruce.

Cyclops put his phone back on his belt. "I'm taking you to the eye doctor because, the next time you and Logan want to do the town, I rather not spend half the night at an impound lot, so don't think I like you."

"I'm sorry that I'm substituting for your late girlfriend until you can find a permanent replacement," said Bruce. "I wish your girlfriend was still alive."

"Then you wouldn't have job," said Cyclops.

"I'm here as a friend of Xavier's. Well, Hank McCoy told me of the opening. I knew Hank back before my accident. We both share an interest in bio-physics."

"You know Hank?"

"He was interested in my research on cellular regeneration. His work on the genome project is fascinating. I did peer review on several of his papers."

"If we talked like this when we met, I would have liked you a lot more," said Cyclops.

A few minutes later, Bruce was done with his appointment. "Now we have to wait for them to make me glasses or we can pick them up tomorrow. Machine they use in the DMV is calibrated for near-sighted people. He has to sign paperwork for lot of far-sighted people. I need to go back with my paperwork and show it to the clerk."

After Bruce gave the clerk his paperwork then passed the written test, he was given a date to take his test to get his motorcycle license. "If I don't have my bike, yet, I can reschedule?"

"Yes, Mr. Banner," said the clerk.

"Thanks, again." Bruce walked over to Cyclops. "All done. We only lost half a day." After Bruce finished his classes for the day and invited his seniors to the advanced class he was starting, Bruce called Steve. An advanced class would keep Rogue and the other seniors from getting bored and it would teach what they needed to know for college. "Hi, Steve. It's Bruce."

"You sound like you, again," said Steve. "Did Janet zap you?"

"No, one of my students did," said Bruce. "I can't say more. I hope you didn't order the bike, yet. I still need a sturdy bike, but for a normal-sized person."

"I'll get you a bike that you can ride with your wife and baby daughter," said Steve. "I'll be testing out the baby carrier since Howie will be joining me for the trip up."

"I look forward to seeing him, again. You tell me the price and I'll wire the money."

"Will do." After they talked some more about Howie and Nat, Bruce made his good-byes. Finally, we went to the library where Douglass was giving his wife another reading lesson.

"Hello, Sif," Bruce said in English.

"You'll be back to normal when we go home," said Sif.

"This is my normal size." Bruce didn't mean to get upset. Then he said in Norse for Sif's ears, "Yes, I'll go back to being a giant. I kinda liked being a giant - if it wasn't that I didn't fit into horseless carriages, I had to test seats for steadiness and my fingers were too large to use standard Misgardian equipment. I didn't mean to touch Rogue's skin. I was aiming for her shirt and I must have missed."

Sif hugged him. "I can get used to my arms embracing you - being able to go fully around you in a hug. Very nice. It's also nice looking into your eyes." After placing Bruce's hand in hers, she said in her broken English, "Doug-lass, our lesson over."

When he tried to make love to his wife later that evening, Bruce felt the Hulk wanting in on the action; therefore, he needed to calm himself down. He cuddled next to Sif and focused on his breathing. She didn't need to know, yet. She had enough on her plate with just getting used to use to him being her height since she did marry a giant.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

"A bit too much excitement," said Bruce.

"Rogue drained your life force," said Sif. "It isn't your fault."

"I can get it up," said Bruce. "It's just that my heart was racing."

"I'm used to seeing you working our fields or hammering in your workshop," said Sif. "I hate seeing you tired all the time. It's like your another person."

"I'll have my energy back," said Bruce.

"You don't know that for sure," said Sif. "Rogue said that she experienced something different with you than she did when she touched other people. Rogue only drained Misgardians before, and Odin changed you from a green rage monster into a normal Asgardian. I've heard you and Jane talk science enough times to pick up a thing or two - as you two would say, 'We don't have enough data.'"

If he was normal, Rogue wouldn't have changed into a she-hulk. Bruce hadn't felt the Hulk's presence weighing down on him when he was on Asgard. He, physically, changed when he arrived on Asgard. Why wouldn't he change when he returned to Misgard? He had been too dumb to see it. No, he saw it. He even commented to Storm about it, but he didn't correlate him feeling the Hulk in his head to returning to Misgard.

"When we see Dagmar in your arms, it will be all worth it," said Bruce. They needed to be here until the baby was born; without Misgardian medical intervention, Sif could die in childbirth. Six more months then they could put this all behind them.

"Bruce, be honest with me," Sif said. "Are you dying?"

"As you said earlier, we don't have enough data." Bruce felt so tired and he was getting less than half the exercise he got on Asgard. Not to mention, the Hulk was back and he had no appetite. The Hulk made him ravenous, so something was terribly wrong. "I don't know. I'm not going to spend what might be my last days crying. I'm going to enjoy you and the wonderful students I get to teach and New York State in the autumn. Maple and oak trees are so beautiful when their leaves change color. People come from all over Misgard to see the foliage."

"Please, don't die," begged Sif. "Our baby and I need you."

Bruce rested against Sif and said in a soft voice, "It's in the gods' hands." He thought about the serenity prayer._ The wisdom to know the difference._ Wrapping his arms around his wife, Bruce closed his eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: I don't own any of the Marvel Characters, which includes the Avengers and the X-Men.

xxxx

The following morning, he called Janet. "Hi, Janet, this is Bruce."

"Bruce who?" asked Janet.

"Who many Bruces to you know?" Bruce asked.

"Bruce Willis, Bruce Jenner (_Keeping up with the Kardashians_ is one of my guilty pleasures)... "

Bruce interrupted, "Never watched that show."

"Hank doesn't watch much TV either. He's always in his lab in mad scientist mode."

"I'm teaching future mad scientists at a school for gifted children," said Bruce. "Us mad scientists have to pay it forward."

"How many mad scientists do I know named Bruce?" Janet said.

"Not too many I hope," Bruce teased.

"Bruce Banner," said Janet, "But he has a deeper voice."

"I'm back to my normal size without any Pym particles, and my one-eyed wonder snake is proportional, not that that is any of your business."

"Bruce?" said Janet.

"That's my name. I need you to remove the Pym particles from my clothing. I can go to Stark Tower to get the clothes I wore before going to Asgard, but you and the fashion police will arrest me for wearing clothes 3 1/2 years out of date."

"I'll be over in 3 days. Hank has meeting in town. I can sneak over to West Chester. I can also collect your clothes from Stark Tower and none of your clothes can be a bad as Tony's rock band tee shirts."

"True enough." Bruce laughed. "All my dorky tee shirts are second hand. And guess who had them first?"

Janet said, "Tony has great taste in suits and causal wear, but he really needs to part with his tee shirt collection."

"He has parted with it. He gave all but the rock band tee shirts to me." Bruce made his good-byes and got off the phone. He couldn't be late to class since he was the teacher.

xxxx

Twelve days after leaving on Cyclops' bike, Logan came back to the school and threw the keys to Cyclops.

"I'm James Logan," he told all the adults gathered in Xavier's office. "I served in the Canadian military during World War I."

Logan showed them the photocopies of the photographs they had in the military archives. Bruce looked at the photos from World War I and World War II. Logan had served in the First Canadian Parachute Battalion. He looked like a teenager in the photo dated 1917, but, in the photos from the 1940's, he looked the same as he did now.

"Shit," said Bruce, handing the photocopies to Professor Xavier.

"I don't have a birth certificate," said Logan. "But I have honorable discharge papers for both world wars."

"Jean said you were older than I," said Professor Xavier.

"My claws are fused with Adamantium, but they are bone. Striker lied when he said he gave me claws. He was testing my memory." Logan passed around a picture of him with his claws extended taken during World War II. "It's only pictures because I'm never going to remember any of this shit, but I have a name."

Bruce looked at the picture with Logan in the background. "That's Steve Rogers. He'll be dropping off my bike. He's bringing Howie."

"What if he remembers me?" said Logan.

Professor Xavier said, "Either you tell him you have amnesia or you tell him that too many years have passed and it wasn't yesterday to you."

"You weren't fighting with those claws," said Cyclops. "You were trying to upstage Captain America for the camera."

"I would so not make bunny ears with my claws," said Logan.

"Not bunny ears." Cyclops laughed. "But you extended them as the flash went off."

xxxx

Finally, Steve arrived with Howie. Sif took eighteen month Howie and put his feet on the floor and took his hand.

"How is my little guy?" she asked. Her English was getting much better.

"I'm sure he wants a nap," said Steve.

"Nonsense. He needs to walk." Sif put free hand on her growing baby bump. "And I need the practice."

Howie was already leading Sif away.

Bruce hugged Steve. "Let her show Howie around. In a few months, I'm going to be a dad. Susanne told me to focus on the possible. I'm going to be a dad."

Steve hugged him back. "Nat works, so I'm a stay-at-home father. Who would think a man raised in the 30's would love watching his kid grow? Every time you turn around they learn something new. They have all these computer games; but simple toys are best. We can stack blocks for hours."

"Howie?" said Bruce. "Tony must love that."

"When Tony has a kid, he can name him Tony Jr.," said Steve.

"All the girls are probably asking Sif if they can hold Howie," said Bruce. "You won't see him until he needs his diaper changed."

Logan entered the living room. "Captain Rogers?"

Steve ran over to Logan, stopped short and looked at the Logan's hands. His eyes appeared to focus the spots between the finger bones where the blades protrude. "_Konnichiwa_, Logan."

Logan said, at least, a paragraph in Japanese. Then he looked at his feet.

"What did he say?" asked Bruce.

"I don't know." Steve shrugged his shoulders. "My Japanese is limited to hello and good-bye."

Bruce said, "Logan, I don't speak Japanese."

"I, apparently, do," said Logan.

"What did you say?" asked Bruce.

"I asked him how he was and how are his wife and son," said Logan. "And did he have a nice ride on the motorcycle."

"They're well," said Steve. "_Domo Arigato_."

Logan gave a small bow and walked away.

After Logan left the room, Steve said, "He had an adult son when I met him during the war. He wasn't sure if his son was alive or dead, and with the war, he had no way of finding out. He asked me if after the war, I could help him separate truth from rumor."

"Logan told us that he might have been born in the 1890's or earlier," Bruce said. "They didn't issue birth certificates back then."

"What just happened?" asked Steve.

"It isn't my place to say," Bruce simply replied.

"Let's see that bike," said Steve. Steve showed Bruce the bike - a reconditioned Harley-Davidson.

Bruce put on his helmet. "I'll drive it around a bit."

"You wired me the money," said Steve. "It's yours. I just need to sign over the title."

The last time he was on a motorcycle was the day he drove a_ borrowed_ bike to ride into battle. His life had changed so much since that day. He now had a job teaching of all things, a wife and a child on the way. He drove around the school a bit and down a country road then he decided to go back to the school. Something about all that power between his legs. Just him and the open road. Nice.

When he got back to the school, he leaped off the bike, put down the kickstand and put the helmet on the handlebars to find Steve waiting for him. "Let's get inside. You must be starved."

"No curry or Mexican food," said Steve. "I don't go for that hot stuff."

Sif was in the kitchen with Howie. He was on her lap and she was helping him drink from his sippy cup.

Bruce found a couple cans of tuna in the cabinet then took some bread out of the bread box. "How about tuna sandwiches? Unless the kids ate all the mayo." He found half a jar of mayonnaise in the refrigerator, but no onions or celery. "Toast good?"

"Sure," said Steve.

Bruce put 4 slices of white bread into the toaster. After using an electric can-opener to open the cans, he mixed the tuna with mayo, pepper, onion powder, and celery salt. After the toaster popped, he made two sandwiches for Steve then put more bread in the toaster for Sif and himself.

Then it put the sandwiches in front of Steve. "Company eats first. I saw milk in the fridge. Now that I have a bike, I won't have to rely on the others to make trips to the store." Bruce poured Steve a glass of milk.

"Thanks," said Steve.

Bruce made two more sandwiches and poured milk for himself and Sif then rinsed out the empty milk container and put it in the recycling bin. Finally, he sat down at the table. He only ate half his sandwich.

"Are you OK?" asked Steve.

"I haven't had much of an appetite since I returned to normal size," admitted Bruce.

"You have to watch your health," said Steve.

Sif finished her sandwich.

"I'll go on the scale." Bruce pushed the plate toward her. "You can finish mine."

"Thank you," said Sif.

Bruce drank some of his milk. Whole milk, a good source of calories.

Howie jumped off Sif's lap and climbed into his father's lap. He hadn't said a word, yet. Then some kids were shy around strangers. He probably talks his dad's ear off when other adults weren't around. Steve felt Howie's diaper. "I need to change him."

"The bag is in the big room," said Sif.

"The living room?" asked Steve.

"Living room," repeated Sif.

Steve carried his son into the living room, leaving Sif and Bruce alone in the kitchen.

Sif said in Norse. "You haven't been eating well since Rogue made you small. I'm worried."

Since he had been a giant the whole time Sif knew him, Bruce was small to her and yelling at her wasn't going to change her opinion. He took a deep breath and said in a calm voice, "This is my normal height. So I eat less than you. You're eating for two. I'm not."

Sif took his hand. "I'm your wife. It's my job to worry about you."

Bruce needed to return to mediating. "I'm not dying. Well, I am, but that won't be for another 35 to 45 years since I can't eat those life-extending apples without getting radioactive, again."

"If we make love, you won't break," said Sif.

"I can drink alcohol." Bruce wouldn't break; he was more worried that the Hulk would hurt Sif. "It will calm me a bit. Then my heart won't race and you can do your worst."


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: I still don't own any Marvel characters.

xxxx

That Sunday, Cyclops asked him to help him rotate the tires on one of his cars. The jack broke and the car slipped. Bruce felt the other guy and yelled, "No," as the car fell. Since he had just bought those glasses, he threw them across the room. He was totally going to trash a garage full of cars and he was worried about his glasses. The serenity prayer. He could keep his glasses from getting broken. He could go nothing about the cars.

Cyclops must have seen the look on Bruce's face because he backed away.

The next thing Bruce remembered was he was in the woods outside the school and his shirt, shoes and socks were gone and his pants ripped to shreds. Those feelings of rage and power that he talked to Rogue about they were filling all the empty places in his brain. He hoped he didn't hurt anyone. The Hulk would have ran off before hurting anyone since no one was going to keep him from running, but what if he caused Cyclops to lose his glasses in his haste? That would would be real bad. And Cyclops would be angry about him destroying his precious cars.

Bruce, remembering his appointments with Susanne, told himself that he wasn't going to mentally beat himself up. After he changed his clothes, he went to the garage to check the damage. The car he and Cyclops working on was yards away from the garage and totaled. The Hulk must have threw the car out of the garage then kept on smashing it until it was a dented pile of twisted metal.

Then Bruce walked into the garage to see what damage the Hulk did to the other cars. One other car without handicapped plates was damaged. No handicapped plates meant it was Cyclops'. It must have been hit when the Hulk was throwing the blue Mazda free of the garage. Just as Bruce predicted, the Hulk was be more interested in leaving that smashing cars other than the one that fell on him. The Hulk hated being confided, so he tended to do his smashing outside or as a means to get outside.

Professor Xavier was in the garage.

After picking up his undamaged eye glasses that someone was nice enough to put on a shelf and putting them on, Bruce continued looking at the damage. "Do I still have a job?"

"If you want one," said the man in the wheelchair.

"How angry is Cyclops?" asked Bruce.

"You totaled his favorite car and smashed up another one," said Xavier. "I would say pretty angry. I needed to use mind control on him to keep him from trashing your bike in retaliation. He's with Storm right now."

"I'm so sorry," said Bruce.

"I would stay out of his way for a few days," said Xavier.

"You aren't going to tell anyone the Hulk is back," said Bruce.

"Why would I do that?" said Xavier. "I protect people like us. You spend time with your wife. She needs to know you're OK."

Bruce went to the lab to take a sample of his blood to find that his radiation levels were as high as they were before he ate those apples. Finally, Bruce went back to his room. Sif was reading a book. He put an arm around her and hugged her. "I'm so sorry."

She put an arm around him. "Can we have sex?"

"We'll have to watch my pulse, but yes," said Bruce. "We always had to be careful in the bedroom. So this is nothing new. Like before, we'll find out what works and what doesn't."

Sif smiled through her tears. "It will be fun."

"Then why are you crying?" he asked.

"You're back to - how do they say it - square one," said Sif.

"I'm not," said Bruce. "I've had five months of therapy, which I can start, again. I know yoga and meditation. I also know I need to accept the Hulk as part of me. When we get back to Asgard, we'll have the Hulk pull up trees. This will work."

Sif hugged Bruce. "If you say so."

Bruce hugged her back. "Do you want a divorce?"

"No," Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I love you."

Playfully, pushed his wife onto the mattress and cuddled against her. "I love you, too." He didn't know if he could tell any of the Avengers because he didn't want this getting back to Fury.

xxxx

Storm walked over to Bruce while he was watching football with Logan. Logan was explaining how Canadian football was different than United States football, but Bruce wasn't really a fan of either sport.

"Do you want to talk?" asked Storm.

"Not really," said Bruce. "It isn't a game without beer and I could use the calories."

After going to the kitchen, Storm threw him an alcohol-free beer. "Here you go."

Bruce said, "Thank you," and popped open the beer.

Storm placed a glass on the table and poured herself one. "Have you figured out the rules, yet?"

"Not really," admitted Bruce. "But I'm following the team has the ball with my eyes. Has Cyclops torched my bike, yet?"

"The Professor stopped him then he explained that, if torches your bike, Logan will have to continue to borrow his," said Storm.

Bruce took a swallow of the low alcohol beer, according to the label it wasn't quite alcohol free. "I'm really sorry about his cars."

"Comprehensive covers thief, vandalism, acts of God and Hulk smashing," said Storm. "We implied to the insurance company that it was one of the children. Cyclops rates will go up, but we protect our own."

"Since I'm not planning on getting pinned under another car and Cyclops isn't going to let me breath on his babies," said Bruce. "It won't happen, again."

"You should apologize to him," said Storm.

Bruce took his can of defanged beer with him and walked toward Cyclops's room. He knocked on the door.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: I don't own any Marvel Characters.

xxxx

Cyclops yelled, "Go away."

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault." Cyclops said through the closed door, "I saw an innocence in your shape that wasn't there. I work with mutant children. I should know better."

"You aren't angry at me," said Bruce.

"A little angry," said Cyclops. "I was very angry with you earlier. Professor Xavier and Storm had to calm me down."

"He didn't stay around to smash the other cars. He ran off after he smashed the offending car. We were integrated before. I'm back to being two people, again."

"You do what you can," said Cyclops. "People have pulled my glasses off to cause all sorts of damage - much worse than one car totaled and another one with a few dents. So I don't have talking room. I'm dangerous all the time. You're only dangerous when someone drops a car on you or other rare occasions."

"I'm dying. The Hulk needs calories and I can't eat. I have a baby on the way and I might not live to see her born." Bruce downed the beer. 200 Calories.

"The love of my life died, so I'm a bit low on the sympathy, but it sucks to be you," said Cyclops. "It also sucks to be me."

"Can we talk face to face?" asked Bruce.

"Eyes are the windows to the soul and my eyes omit an optic blast," said Cyclops. "A closed door is fine."

"I'm sorry about the cars," said Bruce.

"You apologized already," said Cyclops.

"I apologize a lot," said Bruce. "Tony hated that: he was my boyfriend before I met Sif. I know you don't want to hear this, but you will find someone when the time is right. I found Sif."

"You're right," said Cyclops. "I don't want to hear that."

"Scott, Logan is trying to teach me about Canadian football" said Bruce. "Are you sure you don't want to join us?"

"I need some alone time," said Cyclops.

"Good night then." Bruce went back to the kitchen to get some chips and sour cream. Then he returned to the sofa. He couldn't bring himself to eat a single chip while he watched the game.

xxxx

On Monday, he talked to the school nurse, who only came in on a part-time basis. "I need you to give me a feeding tube. I'm a great cook and I can't eat. I can force a little food into me, but that just means I'll die of starvation a bit slower."

"I'm not a doctor," said the woman.

"I am," explained Bruce. "We'll use a local and I'll talk you through it. We're going to put in a gastric feeding tube. You OK with this?"

She nodded.

After the surgery was done, Bruce put a bag of Ensure in his backpack and hid most of the tubing under his clothes. He was ready to go to class and teach for the day. Before lunch, he cleaned the tubing and refilled the bag with more nutritional supplement. Then he started making himself and Sif lunch.

Sif touched his tube while they were enjoying hamburgers. "What is this?"

"I went on the scale this morning and I lost another five pounds," Bruce explained. "It's supplemental nutrition."

"Does it hurt?" asked Sif.

"It will when the local wears off," said Bruce. "All I feel now is a some pulling. Tony has a big hole in his chest. This is a little hole in my abdominal wall, and once my appetite returns, I can take out the tube and the hole will close up. Before I met you, I had planned to kill myself. Now I'm using medical intervention to stay alive."

"Can you return to Asgard?" Sif asked.

"The only thing that bothers me is, if I get big, again, this little tube won't be able to give me the calories a giant needs," explained Bruce.

"Then we won't go," said Sif.

xxxx

A few days after Bruce got his motorcycle license. Storm opened the front door to Clint, Steve, Nat, Thor, Jane and Tony. Clint said, "We're here to break Hulk out for some adult time."

"He's making himself dinner in the kitchen," said Storm.

After running to the kitchen, Clint caught Bruce taking his nutrition bag and tube out of the autoclave. Then Bruce connected the tubing to his G-tube and filled the bag with nutritional supplement. After running the tubing up his shirt, he connected the bag to the tubing through a small hole in the backpack.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," said Clint.

Bruce adjusted the backpack. "Dinner is served."

"Can you eat?" asked Clint.

"I eat 24/7. Well, close to it, I need to clean the bag and tubing and Sif won't let me eat while we're making love. She doesn't want to be bothered by the tubing. She says we shouldn't eat while making love unless its erotic like licking chocolate off of someone. That kind of thing."

"How can you joke about it?" asked Clint.

"How can I not?" said Bruce. "The only thing worse than having a feeding tube is not having a feeding tube."

Clint said, "I don't get it."

"Professor Xavier loves his wheelchair - it gives him freedom. My nutritional supplement keeps me from starving. My stomach is always full and happy."

"Won't eating all the time make you fat?"

"I watch my calories. I know exactly how many calories I'm consuming. How many calories did you eat today?"

"I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast. It was a large bowl. I don't know 200, 250 calories. Then I had milk - another 40 to 60 calories," said Clint. "I'm not sure."

"My point," said Bruce.

"The gang is here," said Clint. "We were going to take you out to dinner."

"I'll drink some water and eat as much as I can." Bruce ran into the living room and into Tony's arms. "It's been too long."

"What's in the backpack?" asked Tony.

"My dinner," said Bruce.

"Didn't Clint tell you we're going out for dinner?" Tony had his arms around Bruce.

Bruce said, "We should invite Logan. He would like to escape for the evening, too."

"Only Avengers," said Tony.

"Jane's here," said Bruce.

"She's an honorary Avenger," said Thor.

"Then make Logan an honorary Avenger, too." said Bruce.

Steve said, "Logan and I shared a table at a bar once. He was one of the prisoners I rescued."

"From Red Skull?" asked Clint.

"Steve told me that Logan started talking Japanese and Bruce was like what did he just say," said Nat. "It was odd."

Clint said, "Nat talking valley girl is odd."

"Pepper is a bad influence on her," said Tony.

"I'll get him," said Bruce.

"You're not going to a nice restaurant wearing a backpack," said Tony.

"I'm not going to starve while you eat," said Bruce. "I can bring the IV pole I use in the bedroom, but a backpack is more discrete. It works by gravity - I don't use a pump, so I have to keep my bag above my belly hole."

Tony grabbed Bruce and pulled him back into his arms then unzipped his jacket and unbuttoned Bruce's shirt. Tony's eyes went to Bruce's G-tube. "I'm going to kill Janet."

"Janet didn't zap me. I, accidentally, touched one of the children and I returned to my normal size." Bruce rebuttoned his shirt then zipped his jacket. "Your hole is bigger. It's part of my routine. I calculate how many calories I'll need then I figure out how many bottles of nutritional supplement I'll need for the day."

"Bruce, you look good," said Steve. "You've gained some weight since I last saw you."

"See," said Bruce. "Let me go see if Logan is in his room."

Tony grabbed him one last time and kissed his cheek. "Hurry back."

Bruce came back with Logan. "You remember Steve. The woman beside him is his wife, Nat."

Nat waved to Logan. "Hi, Logan."

Tony reached over to grab Bruce and rub his hair.

"The guy mauling me is Tony," said Bruce. "We used to be boyfriends."

Logan said, "Bruce talks about you all the time."

"Hi, Logan, I'm Clint. The two lovebirds are Thor and Jane."

"Where's Pepper?" asked Bruce.

"She's overseas being CEO," said Tony. "Thor and Jane just got back from Asgard, and we decided on an impromptu visit."

"You could have brought the babies here," Bruce said. "We have a house full of potential babysitters."

"That shot energy bursts from their hands," said Steve.

"Only one girl does that and Howie was laughing his ass off each time she let a spark go," Bruce said defending Jubilee.


	13. Chapter 13

When they got to the restaurant, Bruce ordered a milkshake and tried to take a bite of his salad. Tony asked, watching Bruce push his food around with his fork, "Can you physically not eat or is it psychological?"

"Both I suppose," said Bruce. "I don't have an appetite. After I woke from coma, I ate because the clock said I should, but after the first couple bites, I was forcing the food into my mouth. Even with food I like, I can only eat a bit or two. I'm better with liquids. That's why I ordered the milkshake."

"Are you returning to Asgard?" asked Thor.

"If I go back, I may get big, again, and my G-tube will fall out and my belly hole will heal over," Bruce explained. "Then I will need to rush back to Misgard to get a new hole, and finding food stuff, that doesn't need to be chewed and/or broken down by saliva on Asgard will be hard. Since my problem is, at least, partially psychological, eating all the golden apples on Asgard may not fix me."

"How does Sif feel about that?"

"She says she'll stay here if that is what I want," said Bruce. "She loves the girls. She's teaching them how to fight like an Asgard warriors. She is even helps Jubilee with her energy bursts. Kitty tell me Sif calls her 'Warrior Kitten' and 'Lioness'. Teenage girls are nervous fighting around boys and the boys show off to impress the girls."

"Mutants or not," said Jane. "They are still teenagers."

"Logan, what do you teach?" asked Nat.

"I may give a class on Japanese," said Logan. "Steve said_ Konnichiwa_ and I'm going off with both barrels blazing. I know karate and am a regular Samurai."

Tony said, "You really met Steve during World War II?"

Logan drank some beer. "I was in the background of a picture taken of Captain America."

Clint said, "Nat was born in the late 1930's or early 1940's. She doesn't remember her exact age. And you fought with Steve, so you don't have to be embarrassed about your age."

After he sipped a bit of his milkshake, Bruce asked, "May I?"

Logan finished off his beer and waved to the waitress. After he had a full mug in front of him, Logan said, "I have amnesia. I wake up every night from nightmares of being tortured."

"Man," said Tony.

"Storm tells me that Logan is sixteen years old and a student," said Bruce. "That was before I accidentally touched this girl, that Logan also touched twice, that drains the life force out of people. Here I am worrying that my hair will turn white and my teeth will fall out."

"Bruce slept for over a day after Rogue touched him," said Logan. "Sif was at his bedside the whole time, crying."

"You did explain to Bruce that you have amnesia and your memory only goes back 16 years," said Nat.

"Storm told me you had amnesia," said Bruce. "But she said it like an afterthought, after I questioned your age, like you would if you were covering the truth."

"And you wonder why we didn't drop off Howie and Tamar at the school," said Nat.

"Rogue wears gloves and is very careful," said Bruce.

"I touched her the second time to give her my healing." Logan drank more of his beer. "I sacrificed myself for her and she falls for Bobby. I caught them sharing saliva."

Jane said, "He sounds 16."

"Bobby doesn't heal," said Bruce. "When Rogue touches us, she takes our healing so we lose consciousness. Logan, you would have to fall for the one girl you can't have."

Tony said, "You're making headway on the shake. You can drink your _Ensure_."

"I drink it," said Bruce.

"You didn't see Bruce," said Steve. "He has always been thin, but he was scary thin. Give him a break - he's gaining weight."

"You can tell Fury that I've retired from the Avengers for medical reasons." said Bruce.

Tony gave him dirty look.

Nat said, "He can't tell a hospital that he lost his belly hole because he turned into a green rage monster. And we don't need a Hulk that is weak from hunger."

"Thanks, Nat," said Bruce.

"We can't have you fainting on the bad guys," said Clint. "Although that would be funny."

Bruce smirked. "I don't think so."

"Do you still need 4 times more calories than a normal person?" asked Steve.

"No," said Bruce. "Odin fixed my metabolism. Here I was a giant and I was eating less than I did at this size. I calculate my calories for a man my height, who does moderate exercise, and my weight gain has been on the mark. Odin gave me that and I can heal any wound fast without scar tissue without needing to get big and green. That's really nice."

Jane said, "It sounds like your doing well."

"I am," said Bruce. "I'm going to the doctor with Sif next week. We're going to have an ultrasound. I'll be sure to show you pictures of our daughter next time we get together."

Nat said, "Do you have a code name like Storm and Cyclops?"

"Wolverine," said Logan. "It was on my dog tags. I don't know how I got it."

Steve said, "He growls and has claws."

Logan growled as on cue.

Nat said, "Bruce's wife is expecting, Thor and Jane just had a baby and Howie is eighteen months old. You and Pepper should be getting on the baby bandwagon."

Tony said, "I'm not father material."

"Those wood-shop tools in your basement say otherwise." Bruce ended up drinking two large milkshakes, although he only took two bites of salad all evening. On the way home, Tony bought him a gallon of ice cream, Hershey's syrup and two gallons of milk.

The following night, Bruce, Sif and a bunch of students made milkshakes and sundaes. Bruce really enjoyed the milkshake after he forced himself to take a second sip. Then he realized Rogue didn't cause his problem. His mind not talking to his stomach was mind-control. Professor Xavier must have read his mind about drinking the milkshakes after he returned home from the restaurant and had to let him enjoy them at home to keep from being found out. Although it was nice to be needed after being a fugitive for so long, Professor Xavier needed another toy to play with, and Bruce would tell him so.

Bruce went to Xavier's office. "Sir, my wife and I talked and I like to continue teaching here for as long as you will have me."

"You're a good teacher," said Professor Xavier. "I would hate have to replace you. If I can get your medical license reinstated, would you consider the position of X-Men physician?"

"I'm not a mutant," said Bruce.

"You don't have to be a mutant to bandage people up. Actually, I prefer that you're not," said Xavier.

"We'll talk if I ever get my license reinstated," said Bruce.

Professor Xavier smiled. "That isn't a no."

"It isn't a yes, either." Bruce said, "Stay out of my mind. I have a G-tube because you won't let me eat. I intrigue you because you can't track me with Cerebro. I may be a small fuzzy animal with big sharp teeth, but I have friends whose teeth are even sharper."

There wasn't a computer built that didn't give all its secrets to Tony. And the best secret was Asgardians couldn't be tracked by Cerebro any more than dogs, alligators or any other non-human animal. Bruce loved Odin at this moment. Thank Odin for cleaning up his DNA. If it was DNA. Bruce would have to sit down with a electron microscope the next time he visited Tony.

"Don't get upset," said Professor Xavier.

"I'm totally calm." Bruce smiled. "See. I'd like to be able to enjoy my food, again. I need to watch my pulse when I make love to my wife. I need to keep my emotions in check all the time, but food was the one thing I could give into totally, and you knew that."

Less than a second later, Bruce could feel his mouth water for the first time in weeks. Because he wouldn't feel right about having the Hulk toss a disabled man around no matter how good it would have felt, Bruce walked away. He went to the kitchen to get a bowl of ice cream, but the ice cream Tony bought yesterday was gone. There was still some milk, so he poured himself a bowl of cold cereal.

Xavier talked to other people mind-to-mind. Not him. The man would want to explain himself. That, obviously, meant he couldn't talk to him mind-to-mind. Bruce didn't have enough data to know if that was because Odin had tampered with him or some other reason. Xavier would never allowed Bruce to starve to death, so it was a show of power - nothing more.

Even with his appetite back, Bruce only managed a few bites. He would have to wean himself off the G-tube slowly, needing to be careful, so he didn't lose any of the weight he gained since watching his calorie intake. But it could be done. After going to his bedroom, he got into his pajamas and put his bag on the IV stand for the night then cuddled into bed beside his pregnant wife.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Notes: I still don't own the Avengers or the X-Men. They belong to Marvel. All I own is Dr. Susanne Rosen.

xxxx

The next morning, he made eggs and toast for Sif and himself. He enjoyed the taste of the butter and strawberry jam on his toast. Watching him eat his eggs drowned in salsa, Sif said, "Did you have a nice talk with the Professor?"

"We won't be getting much sleep once the baby is born, so I didn't want to wake you," explained Bruce.

Sif's eyes were on Bruce's face. "So?"

"We talked," said Bruce.

"You aren't wearing your backpack," said Sif.

"The eggs are fried and I have butter on my toast," said Bruce. "I can add more calories to my diet this evening, if necessary. When I lost weight, I lost fat and muscle. I need to do light exercise that won't levitate my heart rate too much to make sure I don't only gain back fat."

"You need fat," said Sif.

"I also need muscle, so I have to watch my calories," explained Bruce. "If I could exercise like crazy, I could do protein shakes and work out until I gain back the muscle. But I can't."

"Sounds complicated," said Sif.

"Not really." Bruce took a sip of orange juice. "Lots of people due to heart problems or other reasons are told to do light exercise. Climbing stairs is one of the best exercises around. And I do enough of that here."

"Until I got pregnant, I never thought about nutrition," said Sif.

"You didn't have to," said Bruce. "People on Asgard eat a good diet. Since most people there do much more physical labor then Misgardians do, they don't have the weight problems that plague Misgard."

Sif smiled. "I know some fat Asgardians."

Bruce thought about Volstagg. "Me, too. Over sixty percent of Americans are overweight. We're in a school for mutants, so you don't see it."

"How did your talk go last night?" Sif changed the subject. Maybe, she thought she looked fat, but she needed the weight for the baby. Babies are parasites that will take from the mother to get the nutrition they need. Bruce didn't want to tell her that but it was a medical fact. And she was carrying his mutant baby, so she needed the extra calories.

Bruce let her slide. "I made the Professor understand that my friends aren't called the Avengers for nothing."

"And you still have a job?"

"You wanted me to quit." Bruce ate another slice of toast. "You went to his office and asked him to fire me."

Sif took his hand. "I did that out of love."

"He can't advertise for teachers in Monster or the local paper," said Bruce. "He isn't the type of man to cut off his nose to spite his face. Also he knows that if he fires me, Logan would be upset."

Sif smiled. "He wouldn't want that."

"I suppose he could advertise in Monster or some other online job site then screen for mutants." Bruce noticed that he finished his eggs. "Since Hank McCoy is too busy making sure all mutants are covered by ADA, he can't take the position of X-Men physician. Last night, the Professor offered me the post and I turned him down."

Sif leaned across the table and kissed his cheek. "Good for you."

"I'm going to call Susanne later today. Maybe, we can restart video sessions." Bruce drank the rest of his orange juice and kissed his wife. "I'm going to work on today's lesson. We'll have lunch together."

Sif hugged him and gave him another kiss. "Have a good day at work."

xxxx

That afternoon, after filling his bag with distilled water to clean the line (especially the part inside him), Bruce called Susanne. "Hi, how are you doing?"

"I'm good," Susanne said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm well," said Bruce.

"You don't sound well."

"Since I had a bit of problem getting enough food into me, I needed a G-tube. I had a nurse practitioner do the procedure as I gave step-by-step instruction. I've done the procedure before when a patient can't take anything by mouth and their condition doesn't allow a NG-tube."

"Speak English," said Susanne.

"I thought I was," said Bruce. "After I lost 8 pounds in two weeks, I thought it was ironic that a man who tried to kill himself more than once was going to extreme levels to stay alive. I now eat three small meals a day and snacks by mouth and supplemental feedings through a hole in my belly. "

"Why are you telling me?" Susanne asked.

"Because I don't want you freaking if we use video chat and you see an IV stand."

"Are you maintaining your weight now?"

"I'm gaining slowly," said Bruce.

"Can you come to my office?" Susanne asked.

"Sure, I have a backpack with a hole for my feeding tube that I use if I need to eat outside my bedroom. I thought I was banned."

"I also have home office for my clients that live on Long Island."

"You give me directions and I'll be there." The ride to Long Island from West Chester wasn't too bad as long as she didn't live all the way at the far end.

Susanne ran over to him while he was parking his motorcycle in her driveway. "Those things are dangerous."

"I'm a good driver," said Bruce.

"People will just not see the motorcycle because they are looking for cars," Susanne said. "They can look right at it and not see it. You get hit and a helmet won't keep the other guy from making an appearance."

"Your job is to make me feel better about myself." Bruce put his helmet on the handlebars. "I'm very good at self-depreciation."

Susanne put her hands on his shoulders and took a good look at him. "You're thin, but you don't look like you're starving to me."

"How about 'hello, it's nice to see you', not 'Oh my God, you're riding a motorcycle?'" Bruce gave Susanne a hug. "Sif is getting big. I'm excited and nervous about being a father. My own father wasn't a good example of parenthood."

"I'm sorry," said Susanne. "It is nice to see you. Let's get inside."

Bruce walked inside and followed her to her home office.

"Take off your jacket," she said. "Stay awhile."

"I take off my jacket and I'll need to rearrange my plumbing." He disconnected the tubing from his belly hole then removed his backpack and jacket. Then he checked the temperature of the chill pack inside the backpack and refilled bag with his spare bottle of nutritional supplement. Finally, after putting the backpack back on, he reconnected the tubing by feel.

"I didn't need to see that," said Susanne.

"It's a temporary measure until I can eat enough food to maintain my weight," said Bruce. "I usually do a better job at hiding the plumbing, but my students know."

"What are you feeling right now?"

"A bit exposed." Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "Embarrassed. Naked."

Susanne sat on the sofa beside him. "Wow."

"People use a feeding tube to lose weight on the K-E Diet," said Bruce. "So going about my business with a feeding tube isn't as odd as it once was. Tony was the most upset about the hole in my stomach. He of all people. My hole will heal. His would need skin grafts and major reconstructive surgery, which I think is part of the reason, he has that arc reactor still in his chest."

"He worries about you."

"I know. But his behavior was like the pot calling the kettle black."

"Anything else going on?"

"I'm nervous about being a daddy," said Bruce. "I'm like a surrogate father to a private school full of children. We have 6 adults living on campus and 27 young people at this time. One of those adults is Logan. He is mentally 16, so I'm not sure if he counts."

"That's a terrible thing to say," said Susanne.

"He has amnesia," said Bruce. "The last time he babysat six of the children were kidnapped. He's off babysitting duty. The children still have nightmares about it."

"I'm sure he's a nice man."

"Logan and nice man don't belong in the same sentence. However, I enjoy his company and I like hanging out with him more than any of the other adults on campus, except for my wife, of course."

"Of course." Susanne nodded. "You're still have trouble socializing it sounds like."

"Logan and I take our cycles out and ride around on the back roads. I love looking at all the leaves change color. New York in the autumn is beautiful."

"I'm still not comfortable with you on a Harley," said Susanne.

"I'm not here to make you comfortable," Bruce said, knowing comfortable was one of Susanne's buzz words. He wanted to push her bottoms.

"I'm not here to make you comfortable either," said Susanne. "We only grow by stepping outside our comfort zone. Do you have to take your food in liquid form?"

"No _Katz's_," said Bruce.

"OK, we can do Indian," said Susanne.

"If I start talking about work, the stuff I say is beyond top-secret," said Bruce. "I work with mutant children. If I mention the girl who walks through walls, that is one girl. It's the same as Senator Kelly mentioning her by name, so I rather not eat in a restaurant where someone can overhear us."

"You said the girl who walks through walls because she was talked about in senate." Susanne smiled. "I like your caution, but I won't say anything to anyone. How about we get a take-out menu and eat here?"

"We'll need to order, at least, two orders of Naan and that's for me. I want Palak Paneer, Chana Masala and Tandoori Chicken." Bruce knew that people died when recovering from anorexia by eating more than their body could handle, but Bruce was used to eating more than a normal human being. Also take-out at the school was limited to pizza night.

"That's all?" said Susanne.

"A Mango lassi would be nice, but I did clean out my line with distilled water earlier today, and my nutritional supplement is mostly liquid, so, maybe, I should stay clear of any more beverages." Bruce said. "I'm going to be paying for my own food, so what do you care?"

"Any more liquid and you will be spending our whole visit in the bathroom." Susanne shouldn't have said that.

"Where's your bathroom?" asked Bruce.

"Just outside the office, turn left," Susanne said. When he got back, she ordered the food over the phone. "Do have cash or a credit card?"

"Debit card. I may have some cash on me." Bruce took his wallet out of his jeans' pocket. "Fifty dollars should cover it."

"Sixty if you want two orders of Naan," said Susanne.

"New York food prices," said Bruce. "Give me back the ten and I'll give you another twenty. No beverages. If I get thirsty, New York tap water is fine."


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: I don't own Marvel or any of their characters. Only Dr. Susanne Rosen and her boyfriend belong to me.

xxxx

While Bruce was waiting for Susanne to get back with the food, someone opened the door of the main part of the house. Not wanting to disturb whoever it was, Bruce stayed in the office. Susanne came back through the front door.

After she walked around a bit (Bruce could hear her footsteps), she came into the office. "My live-in boyfriend came home while I was gone. Let's eat in the dining room."

Bruce took off the exterior plumbing and removed his backpack. "I can finish my formula on the way home. I haven't had any solid food since lunch." After straightening his shirt, he was ready to met this live-in boyfriend.

"Ready?" Susanne asked.

Bruce pushed up his glasses that were already high up on his nose. "I suppose."

The food was on the dining room table. His food and whatever Susanne bought for herself and her boyfriend. She also poured him a glass of water with ice. Bruce was looking at his feet when a man walked over to him.

"Hi, I'm Mike," said the man in nice slacks and polished brown leather shoes.

Bruce, finally, looked up and shook the hand of an average looking man with a bit of a potbelly hanging over his work pants. "I'm Bruce. I was a client of Susanne's over three years ago and thought I would look her up."

"She doesn't usually invite former clients to dinner. This is a first." Mike looked at him and the large amount of food for one person. Then he could be bringing most of it home for later. "You're Ellen's Bruce. Not her Bruce. The one that she had the building evacuated for. Hi."

"You said hi," said Bruce. "You don't drop a car on me and I won't trash your house. I promise."

"A car fell on you?" asked Susanne.

"Scott and I were changing the tires and the jack broke and the car rolled backwards and onto me. I shouted for Scott to leave when I felt the other guy. No one got hurt."

"That doesn't make me feel better," said Mike.

"I know the other guy is scary, but he helped save the world from alien invasion twice." Bruce sat down with his food and ate Chana Masala with rice without taking the time to taste it. He no longer had an eating disorder, meaning Professor Xavier got the message. Then he sipped some water. He started dipping his bread in the spinach and ate it. "You can have some of my bread if you want."

Mike, eating his own food, was sitting on the other side of the table.

"I'm not going to make excuses for myself," said Bruce.

Mike asked, "Do you have a girlfriend? Are you married?"

"I'm married with a child on the way. When I met Susanne, I was scared to leave the floor at Stark Tower where my laboratory, office and apartment were. Afraid I would hurt people. Susanne had me push my boundaries. I started dating and stuff. She may not have saved my life, but she gave me a life worth living." Bruce started on his chicken. "I'm very grateful to her."

"Two months after we started therapy, Bruce went on his first date in over five years," said Susanne.

"Aren't you putting your wife and unborn child in danger?" asked Mike.

"That is a terrible thing to say," said Susanne.

After washing the food in his mouth down with some water, Bruce said, "I've heard worse."

"Your wife knows?" asked Mike.

"What is this twenty questions?" said Bruce. "Does Susanne know you're a jerk? I have a medical condition. You don't ask stupid questions of someone with diabetes."

"Susie, you shouldn't have brought him into our house," said Mike.

"He was banned from the office because of Ellen," said Susanne. "He needs therapy, but he needed food first. If you don't drop a car on him, he's as safe to be around as anyone else. He teaches at a private school."

"What subject?" asked Mike.

"Mostly math and general science," said Bruce. "It's a small school with under 30 students. I have 5 students that I'm teaching calculus and advanced-placement physics since you can't teach physics without the math."

Mike ate his food in silence.

Bruce went back to eating. Now that he wasn't ravenous and, not nearly as nervous, he ate a bit slower.

"Mike, be nice to him," said Susanne. "He's nervous about being a first time Dad. He's a mutant and that means his children will most likely carry the gene. You've seen the news."

"Mike, how do you feel about the mutant registration act?" said Bruce, making small talk. "I rather not have people knowing I change into a big green rage monster because they tend to act like you. Where do my rights to privacy end and your right to know begin?"

Mike stopped eating and appeared to think a second. "I, personally, wouldn't want you teaching my children, but you have the same right to work as everyone else. It's a hard question."

Bruce finished eating his bread. "I should have gotten three orders of Naan. Both sides have good points. Sorry I didn't save you any."

Mike touched his potbelly.

Bruce looked at Mike's belly for a second then returned to looking at his three orders of Indian food that were nearly gone. "60 percent of Americans are overweight and I have trouble eating enough to maintain my weight."

Mike said, "You look so normal."

"So do you." Bruce stirred some mint chutney into the rest of his rice.

"Mike, after dinner, go watch TV in the bedroom," said Susanne. "Bruce came all this distance on his bike to talk. And he won't talk around you since you aren't his former therapist."

Mike kissed Susanne's cheek. "I'll leave now." Then Mike got up from the table and left the room.

"I'm sorry about him," said Susanne. "Ellen had no business mentioning your name. I can't control what other people do or say. I shouldn't have told Ellen your name, but, at the time, I was angry that Ellen was treating you like an object. Client/therapist confidentiality goes out the window when it comes to the safety of the client and others. I'm sorry."

Bruce drank some more water. "At least, you didn't say my last name."

"Are you remembering the serenity prayer?" Susanne asked.

"After the car rolled onto me, I had a long walk back," said Bruce. "The other guy tends to like to run. I did my best not to worry before I knew the extent of the damage. The Hulk had totaled the car, but Scott ran when I told him to, so no one was hurt. Scott and I talked. His mutant power isn't passive like the girl who walks through walls, so he knows what is it like to be called a monster."

"So you're beating yourself up less?" Susanne said.

"Yes, I'm being good to myself." Bruce smiled. "One of the teachers at the school goes by her mutant name, so when Thor and Jane returned from Asgard for a visit, the gang asked for Hulk to be let out for adult time."

"How did you feel about that?"

"I'm OK with it." Bruce was still eating the last of his food. "I'm not the same person I was three years ago. I've grown a lot. We might be staying here awhile. My daughter might be more mutant than Asgardian and Loki didn't have a good experience growing up different on Asgard. She would be better off growing up in a school for mutants then as an outcast on Asgard."

"You have a lot to think about."

"It's also Sif's decision. Asgard is her home."

"How does she feel about staying?"

"She enjoys spending time with the students. Sometimes, I think she likes the students more than me. When Jean was alive, they had 2 female teachers and 2 male teachers. Now Ms. Monroe is the only female teacher. Since Sif isn't a teacher, she can be more of a surrogate parent to these children since she isn't grading them. I think she would miss them terribly if she left."

"You came here to talk to me." Susanne looked at Bruce with his brown eyes, curly hair and small smile. Then she looked at the now empty take-out boxes. "Talk."

"I didn't have the best role model on fatherhood," said Bruce. "My father wanted me dead. The last thing I remember was him calling me a useless container for his real son. People talk about the apple not falling far from the tree. I want to be a good parent."

"You aren't him or you wouldn't be having this conversation with me," Susanne said. "I still don't know where someone your size puts all that food."

"Hollow leg." Bruce attempted to smile. "I won't need any nutritional supplement tonight. Thanks. Sif will like not having me hooked up to the IV pole. She'll probably be asleep when I get back. Maybe, we can have some morning loving."

"How's your sex life with him back?"

"We manage."

"You should do more than manage."

Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "I am what I am. I got a respite for three years. I'm very thankful for that. I'm very capable of pleasuring my wife. We were never into vanilla sex, and I know how to make her scream in a good way."

"Bruce, go easy on yourself."

Bruce walked over to her office and packed his medical tubing and nutritional bag inside his backpack. Then he went over to use the bathroom one last time before hitting the road. Finally, he put on his jacket and put the backpack over his shoulder. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry about Mike," said Susanne.

"One girl at the school takes people's powers," said Bruce. "I, accidentally, touched her my first week teaching. She became this she-hulk while I lay dying on the floor. My students didn't treat me any differently after that. When I joined the Avengers, everyone but Tony was scared of me. These children didn't care about what I am. I'm just a teacher to them."

"I'm happy for you."

"I still have a lot of unresolved issues and I don't want to have another therapist because they may not handle my medical condition as well as you. You can come to the school or we can return to doing video chat. I have insurance."

"Video chat may be a good idea," said Susanne. "We'll talk later and figure out the details."


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: I don't own any Marvel characters.

xxxx

The doctor went over to shake Bruce's hand. "Sif said you were a big guy."

Bruce looked at his crouch.

The doctor laughed then shook Bruce's hand.

"Five pounds," the doctor said. "Good, Sif."

Sif smiled.

"Your baby is growing nicely. Third door down," said the doctor. "Take your shirt off and put on the gown. You may keep your pants on."

Bruce took Sif's hand and led her to the correct room then he helped her with her shirt silently. After she had her gown on and was on the examining table, Sif put his hand over the baby. The doctor, finally, entered the room. She put gel over Sif's belly and ran her scanner over the baby. Stopping every few seconds to take notes.

"Are you sure about the date?" said the doctor. "She's a bit bigger than I expected."

Bruce nodded then Sif.

Bruce kissed Sif. "I'll wait outside." Then he left the room. He was still a giant when they conceived. Of course, the baby would be big. He went outside the building to walk around just to be sure his aura or whatever wasn't influencing Sif.

After the appointment, Bruce helped Sif with her helmet then he put his own helmet on. If anything would happen that he would need a helmet, he would change and the helmet would be trash. But he didn't want a ticket for riding without one. Sif got on behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

xxxx

Bruce and Logan took their bikes to Frank's Place. Bruce would drink less this time. He had experienced getting drunk and had no desire to repeat the experience at a public place - on a grassy field with on a blanket with Sif had possibilities - especially, since the alcohol would help keep the Hulk from making an a appearance.

When Bruce ordered a pitcher of beer for the table, Frank said, "You said 'Hulk smashed' last time you were here."

"I said a lot of things," said Bruce.

"I found a picture and I won't say anything and I don't care if you and your lady friend are making hulk babies," said Frank. "I just wanted you to know, so you don't slip, again."

"I won't get drunk in public, again," said Bruce. "I stick my foot in my mouth enough when I'm sober. Thanks for the heads up."

"Your name is Bruce," said Frank.

Bruce offered his hand. "Dr. Bruce Banner. It's OK. The people that want to do experiments on me or just use my genetic material for unethical reasons already know my name. I've been telling one gentleman that has been wanting a blood sample no for years. Several governments have files on me."

Frank shook his hand. "And the lady hulk?"

"The government has files on her, too. She's also internationally known," said Bruce. Rogue was, at least, known in two countries - the United States and Canada - that made her internationally known.

"And they don't mind you teaching?"

"They watch me and I know they're watching." Bruce commented, worrying about his unborn child. Since Howie had inherited the perfected super-soldier serum from his father Steve Rogers, agencies like H.Y.D.R.A. would be more interested in Howard Rogers than a child born with Bruce's unstable genes. With Captain America and Black Widow as his parents, no one would be stupid enough to get near Howie. So they may decide to settle on Bruce and Sif's baby. Then Sif was an Asgardian warrior, meaning Dagmar would be far from unprotected.

"Bruce, are all mutants as smart as you and that Hank person?" asked Frank.

"The ones I'm teaching appear to be." Bruce had just mailed out paperwork to the Nobel Prize community on his research on cold temperature physics and the science that lead up to him discovering a high temperature superconductor. "Makes teaching interesting. Does everyone around here know about the school?"

"Those who didn't found out when the military raided the place last year," explained the bar owner. "Military raids are never secret after they occur." Jeeps, helicopters and whatever else Striker bought with him would have alerted all the neighbors for miles.

xxxx

While talking to Hank about mutant rights, Bruce mentioned that the local bar owner and most of the neighbors knew about the school due to the raid last year. It seemed Hank only hear the word_ bar_. "You shouldn't self-medicate with alcohol, especially since your father was an alcoholic."

"I let myself get a bit tipsy and it takes the edge off," admitted Bruce. "Too drunk and I'm not going to get it up, so that defeats the purpose."

"We can try a few medicines and see what works," said Hank. "That is a better option that drinking the Hulk away."

"I'll give it a go," said Bruce.

"That's my boy. I'll monitor your medication. We both know the folly of self-medicating. You can make suggestions, but I get the final word. And never change your medication or the dosage without consulting me first."

xxxx

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Bobby knocked on the door of Bruce and Sif's bedroom. "Can I come in?" asked Bobby.

"Is Rogue with you?" asked Sif.

"No," said Bobby.

Sif's English was much better. "Then you can come in."

"A confined space with Rogue and I is asking for trouble," said Bruce.

Bobby came in and looked around the room, staring at the IV pole a bit too long. "My parents don't want me coming home for Thanksgiving."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Sif.

"We went to see them after Striker raided the school," said Bobby. "And my mom, actually, said 'Can you stop being a mutant?'"

Bruce smiled up at the tall boy. "That's bad."

"I freeze things. It isn't like I turn green and trash buildings. No offense."

"None taken." Bruce smiled. "That isn't my mutation. I became the Hulk because I exposed myself to super-soldier serum. The animals that we tested before my radiation exposure all died, but I didn't. I survived so something in my genetic make-up is different."

"Like Logan surviving the experiments done to him," said Bobby.

"Exactly," said Bruce. "Do you want to talk about your parents?"

"I don't know if I want to talk or just not be alone."

"Where is Rogue?" asked Sif.

"On a bus to Mississippi, she told me she is going to visit her parents, even if she gets a door slammed on her face," said Bobby.

"And you didn't go with her?" said Bruce.

"She insisted on doing it alone and you know how she is," said Bobby.

"She'll be OK," said Bruce.

"I can't talk to Logan about this and the other teachers." Bobby paused. "Well, Storm is always supportive."

"Do you want to talk man-to-man?" asked Bruce.

"I wouldn't ask your wife to leave," said Bobby. "I don't know what I was thinking. I shouldn't have told my parents that Logan is a teacher. They aren't stupid. I freaked them out pretty bad, but it's been nearly a year. And my brother was the one who called the police. I don't think I am quite really to forgive him."

"Do you want me to talk to your parents?" asked Bruce. "Let them know you have real teachers and you're doing well in your classes."

"Just a parent-teacher call." Bobby dialed the number and handed Bruce the cellphone.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Robert Banner, Bobby's calculus and advanced-placement physics teacher." Dr. Bruce Banner being the Hulk wasn't common knowledge like Tony Stark being Ironman, but it had leaked out enough times that Bruce feel better using his first name with the woman. He didn't think about the fact that he had the same name as her son until he said it.

"Robert like my son," said the woman on the line.

"Yes, it's a common name," said Bruce. "Bobby is upset that you didn't invite him home for Thanksgiving, but that isn't the reason I called. After what happened last year, I thought you would like to be reassured that he is getting a real education."

"Yes, of course," said the woman. "Are you a mutant?"

"No, ma'am, I'm not," said Bruce, thinking about the conversation he had with Xavier. To be a mutant, he would have to be human. And Sif and him breeding proved otherwise.

"Yet, you teach at a school for mutants."

"I was between jobs and a friend of mine told me of this position. Back to Bobby, he's my best student. I taught at Berkeley before coming here. Your son is getting a fine education and any college would be lucky to have him. Would you like to speak to Bobby?"

"Sure," said the woman. "One more question, if I may."

"Fire away," said Bruce.

"Mr. Logan doesn't teach art."

"No, martial arts." Bruce tried to keep from laughing. Logan was now assisting Sif with exercises in the danger room. "Who told you he teaches art? He studied karate in Japan."

"Mr. Logan did," said Mrs. Drake. "Give Bobby the phone."

Bobby said, "Hello, Mom." Then he took the phone into the hallway.

Sif put an arm around Bruce. "What you did for Bobby was nice."

"He's my best student," said Bruce. "I was only telling the truth."


	17. Chapter 17

They had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with the other teachers and the students that didn't go home for the holiday weekend. Bruce enjoyed the quiet time with Sif and having no lessons to prepare for five days. Since they had harvest festivals on Asgard, Bruce didn't have to explain the holiday to Sif. With Christmas approaching, Bruce asked if he and Sif could have a longest night celebration.

"What would this detail?" asked Xavier.

"Going outside to welcome the moon and stars," said Bruce. "You can't have a longest night celebration inside. It's a school, so we can't have the raunchy singing and the drinking of large quantities of mead. All Asgard holidays seem to include lots of mead. We have a bonfire and pray to Odin to keep us safe until the light returns after the longest night of the year."

"You can have your Pagan ritual," said Xavier.

"You say Pagan like it's a dirty word, I don't insult your religious beliefs." Bruce walked away, realizing Xavier couldn't read his mind like a book. Xavier could read his mind, but it wasn't as easy as reading a Misgardian mind. "I'll tell my students that Sif and I are going to pray for the sun's return and they can join us if they wish. Thank you."

That night, Bruce lay in bed by his wife, unable to sleep.

"What's wrong?" asked Sif.

"I'm one of the monsters that people light bonfires to keep away," said Bruce.

"You shouldn't think of yourself that way," said Sif.

"Why not?" Bruce wrapped his arms around his beautiful wife. Susanne's significant other saw Bruce as a monster, and he was far from the only one.

"We all have our monsters," said Sif. "As an Asgardian, I'm much stronger than Misgardians and could do real damage to them if I didn't watch myself. When I teach them self-defense, I have to remember how fragile they are."

"I can keep the Hulk from coming out most of the time. But when I'm in terrible pain, it's hard to have the focus to keep him away." Bruce pointed to his head. "He's always here. I'm learning to accept that I am not separate from the Hulk."

"I see the news. Non-mutants think everyone in this school is a monster," said Sif. "Professor Xavier nearly killed you. You're hardly the only monster inside these walls."

"He didn't," said Bruce. "He wouldn't have let me starve to death."

"How can you forgive him?"

"It shows how desperate he is," said Bruce. "To starve someone so they don't leave. He needs me more than I need him. We can live quite well off my royalties from my superconductor. However, I like teaching and he now knows to stay out of my mind."

Sif kissed Bruce's cheek. "I find your control to be a beautiful thing. It only makes me love you more."

Bruce pulled her nightgown off her. While kissing her, he removed his pajama pants. No more talk.

xxxx

Logan sat in on Bruce's advanced-placement class. Afterward, Logan said, "It was fun to watch, but I have enough trouble adding and subtracting."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," said Bruce. "I haven't used my feeding tube for a week and the Hulk hasn't come out since he totaled Cyclops's car. Letting him out is good for my mental health, and you might enjoy battling him."

"Sure, I'm game," said Logan. "I haven't fought him since we were both in Canada."

"I don't remember seeing you," said Bruce.

"The Hulk met me," admitted Logan. "You didn't."

"Let's head to the danger room." Bruce now understood why Logan drew his claws when they met in the hall.

Bruce set the lock on the danger room door to open when the code was entered or to Logan's voice. That way if Logan was in too much pain, he could just yell for the door to open. Since Bruce left his clothes outside, all he had on were the pants Tony had designed for the Hulk. Bruce, finally, let himself feel all he pent up anger he had from the last month or so. When he awaken from being the Hulk, Bruce saw Logan smiling at him.

Sif ran over with his clothes. "I watched some of it."

As he dressed, Bruce had trouble keeping his eyes open. "Logan, I think you wore me out."

"Sif was manning the controls," said Logan. "She sent some obstacles our way."

"I couldn't have Logan have all the fun," said Sif.

Bruce leaned on Sif. "May I lean on you?"

Sif put an arm around him. "Anytime. Do you need the tubing that fell out?"

"No," said Bruce.

Logan threw the tubing into the trash can. Then Bruce walked with Sif back to their bedroom. Bruce crashed on the bed. In his dream, Logan was growling and showing his claws. Objects came out of the wall to blast them or throw things at them. Then rain and lightening came down from the danger room ceiling. He woke up with Sif's arms around him.

"How do you feel?" asked Sif.

"Good. You fell in love with him first," said Bruce.

"I love you - big, small, green or brown," said Sif.

Bruce looked at one of his tanned arms. He was kind of brown. It wasn't like he was going to use sunblock when he healed. Bruce cuddled her, letting one of his hands fall to her baby bump, and smiled.

"Logan is a berserker," said Sif. "A normal person would have stopped. He kept arousing your anger until you slammed him into the wall hard enough that he become aware of his pain. Then he went after you once more and called it a day."

"Does that bother you?"

"No, Thor can go berserk. It upsets him greatly," Sif said. "He will attack friend and foe alike and there aren't reinforced metal walls to throw him against on Asgard. You just have to keep out his way until he exhausts himself or comes to his senses."

"You're seen that state in Thor, so you recognized it," Bruce acknowledged.

"That's why I made the thunderstorm," said Sif. "I figured a little water would calm Logan down. He didn't even notice it until he came to his senses. We can't go back to Asgard."

"Why not?"

"On Asgard, you were like a rubber band pulled just before snapping," Sif explained. "You never bounced all the way back, you would always have some tension in you. You were always working trying to use up that tension. Here you're more relaxed."

"Are you alright with us not going back?"

"I think you and Dagmar will both be happier here." Sif put her hand over the hand touching her belly. "I'd miss Kitty, Rogue and Jubilee. And the younger children need someone to talk to that isn't a teacher."

"Do you like the name Dagmar?" asked Bruce.

"I picked it," said Sif. "You chose her middle name."

"She is going to to be called Dag."

"Dag is a nice short name like Sif and Bruce," said Sif. "And she'll have another name once she gets her power. We knew when we got pregnant that she is half-hulk."

"I'll have to tell the doctor if she gets too big," said Bruce.


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Note: I don't own Marvel or any of its characters.

xxxx

Two days before the winter solstice, Bruce told the doctor, "We have to talk in your office about why Dag is so big."

The doctor led him to her office and shut the door. "Talk."

"You promise you won't freak. And you can't be telling the medical community about this. You will compromise my growing family's safety and I'm sure you want to put Mrs. Banner's safety and the safety of our unborn child first."

"I won't do anything to put Sif and your unborn child at risk," said the doctor. "Just tell me."

"I have a medical condition and my DNA was changed due to this condition." That was forward and straight to the point.

"Banner," said the doctor. "I've heard the name before."

"It's a common enough name," said Bruce. "Let me talk before I lose my nerve. I was bigger when my wife and I conceived. Everyone in New York knows of the Avengers. Fuck, there is no gentle way to say this. The Hulk got my wife pregnant."

"Maybe, you should consider abortion."

"No, Sif and I want this child," explained Bruce. "If she's green like her daddy, so what? My good friend Hank McCoy is blue. I shouldn't have said anything. I just thought you should know that we didn't mess up the dates."

"You're the Hulk?"

"Not at the moment." Bruce tried not to give her a look like -_ if you keep irritating me, I will be._ But the dirty look slipped. He had taken enough blood and tissue samples to know his genetic material was altered by the super-soldier serum and the gamma radiation and his external appearance might have mattered a lot or only a little. It wasn't like you could get a blood sample from an invulnerable creature. "It isn't like my cells are normal when I look like this."

"But she had sex with the Hulk?"

"Sif is a warrior goddess and is tougher than she looks." When Bruce got Sif pregnant, his body was struck somewhere between Hulk and Banner, but the Misgardian doctor looked confused enough already and she didn't need to know all that to understand why Dagmar was bigger than normal size for her gestational age. "When we met, Sif put her little hand into my big green one. She told me Misgardians didn't look like me and I told her I was a mutant."

"My first and only responsibly is to your wife and unborn child," said the doctor.

"Thank you," said Bruce.

"Sif told me you could pull trees up by their roots," said the doctor. "When I saw you, I nearly laughed."

"I can do a lot more than rip trees from the ground," said Bruce. "I saw the damage I did to Stark Tower by using it to slow my descent to keep Ironman from becoming broken pile of bones. The Hulk isn't mindless. He/I used physics to save my friend's life."

"Thank you for talking to me," said the doctor.

xxxx

Logan and some of the older children joined Sif and Bruce to welcome the longest night. They went out in a field to see the Venus and the Moon rise. In spite of the Professor's warnings, Logan and Bruce shared a six-pack. Piotr tried to grab a beer.

Logan put a hand over a beer can with Logan's claws hiding under the surface that was warning enough. "Bub, you have to wait till your twenty-first birthday."

"I'm nineteen," said Piotr.

"Then you have only two more years," said Logan.

Bobby and Rogue had an arm around each other as they watched the evening twilight. After giving Logan another dirty look, Piotr sat beside Kitty and put an arm around her. Douglass put an arm around Jubilee. Bruce had his beer in his lap with an arm around Sif. When Sif put a hand on his knee, he didn't remove it because kids were watching. Without a word, they watched day turn into night.

When the sky was full of stars, Logan said, "We should head back."

Theresa got off his lap. After Logan returned all the empty cans to the cardboard box to be properly disposed of, he nodded to Bruce. And they started the walk back to the school.

Rogue said, "We should do this, again, sometime."

Bobby took her gloved hand and held it with his naked hand. "Without the adults."

Bruce said, "Logan, we didn't hear that."

Logan smiled. "I heard nothing."

xxxx

As Bruce was parking his bike at the doctor's office, he felt something stab his leg. A tranquilizer dart. The doctor talked, Frank talked or someone in the doctor's office overheard and felt the need to do the right thing. Blame would come later. As he felt himself lose consciousness, he thought about Tony coming to rescue him.

xxxx

Author's Note: It's a short chapter, but I end on a cliff-hanger.


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Note: I still don't own Marvel or any of their characters.

xxxx

When he woke, Sif was holding his hand. The room was pitch black like someone had cut the power. The hand holding lasted about a second because Bruce was being scooped up into someone's powerful arms. Piotr. Although Bruce was still dopey from the tranquilizers, he figured out that Sif must had led a group of the students to his rescue.

His eyes would only stay open for a few seconds at a time and his need to sleep was winning as he felt strong arms hold him against what must of been Piotr's organic steel chest. No gunfire. No one was pursuing them. Bruce wondered how a Russian boy ended up in an American school, but now wasn't the time to ask.

Although it was winter, ice inside a building meant Bobby. With his eyesight blurry from the drugs, Bruce couldn't see much more than the contrast of the dark cell and the sunlight spilling through the open door. Light sparkled on the melting ice. After they exiting the building, Bruce could feel snow flakes fall on his hair, skin and indoor clothes, making his body shiver as Piotr continued to hold him against his bare metal chest. He didn't remember going through a doorway; then he was slipping in and out of consciousness the whole time.

Piotr placed Bruce onto a vinyl seat. Bruce's eyes closed and sleep won out, again. Sif's arms were around him. Lacking the energy to even sit up, Bruce leaned against Sif. The doors slammed shut and the van was moving.

Sif said, "You'd be surprised how easy doors unlock from the inside." She must have said things like _I love you_ while Bruce was falling in and out of consciousness. Now she was making small talk.

In his drug-induced haze, Bruce tried to see his rescuers' faces, but focusing took too much of an effort and he closed his eyes. He was sharing the middle seat of the van with Sif. His seat-belt was on and, although the heat was on, he was still shivering from the cold.

Kitty said, "Douglass hacked the computers to silence the alarms. Did you know that Jubilee's energy blasts disrupt electrical power? It was a team effort."

"We aren't going back to that doctor," said Sif. "Bruce, I want you to deliver our baby."

Bruce smiled weakly. "I took you to Misgard to get you the best medical care." Now wasn't the time of argue, so he changed the subject. "Does Xavier know you took his van?"

Logan, who was driving, said, "We borrowed it, again."

"When I'm more awake, I want to hear the whole story." Bruce could feel his eyes shutting and collapsed against his wife. Piotr must have carried him to his bed because he woke up in his bedroom, surrounded by his wife, Logan and the students who rescued him - Jubilee, Kitty, Piotr, Douglass and Bobby.

He had an IV in his arm. Good, they were diluting the drugs still in his bloodstream. He wouldn't be able to change into the Hulk until whatever was in him was out. General Ross wanted him calm. The feeding tube cut a hole through his shirt and tee shirt into his stomach. They weren't planning on killing him right away or they wouldn't have gone to that trouble. Did they want him as a living incubator for his mutated cells or did they want him alive for other reasons? And would they try to capture him, again?

Douglass said, "We tracked you from your debit card and driver's license. They took your cellphone but they didn't think to take your wallet. The rest was easy. Kitty got in the building as I turned off the alarms. She opened the doors from the inside and we just walked in. Jubilee shorted the electrical systems. You have a feeding tube, again. I guess they weren't going to risk waking you up to feed you."

Bruce smiled. "They wouldn't want me waking up angry. Where was I?"

"In a facility outside Washington DC," said Douglass.

"I was asleep that long? Douglass, they probably took my wallet. I keep my cards in my shirt pocket and they didn't bother to undress me. They were probably nervous about touching me too much even with the tranquilizer." If an incident should occur, Bruce would rather lose his ID because his shirt ripped off then have any ID on the Hulk because it was easier to replace his ID then deal with the press announcing that Robert Bruce Banner was the Hulk. Remembering the glare of the ice inside the building, Bruce asked, "Bobby, did you help?"

"While Piotr and Mrs. Banner watched for guards, I put a wall of ice at each of the doors not leading to our exit," said Bobby. "Mrs. Banner threw a couple guards against the walls and the equipment. Bullets doesn't faze her and they bounce off of Piotr. In panic, I froze a guard. The others ran after that. I don't like hurting people. I came along in case we needed to put out fires. Freezing people wasn't part of the deal. Logan stayed with the van, so we would have a speedy getaway."

"Honey, you took a bullet for me," said Bruce.

"It was a flesh wound," said Sif. "The bullet popped out while it was healing. I got a bit overly excited and said something about them needing to worry about Mrs. Hulk. I think that scared the guards more than Bobby turning one of them into a Popsicle."

Bruce wondered why Sif saying that they needed to worry about Mrs. Hulk had scared the guards. Something wasn't adding up.

There was a knock on the door. "May I come in?" asked Professor Xavier.

"Sure," said Bruce. "If you can fit."

The students made room for Xavier's wheelchair.

"You said you would protect me," said Bruce, who was too tired to get angry.

"Douglass found you on a tracking device," said Xavier. "I had my best X-Men retrieve you. Everyone did their part. I couldn't be prouder."

"They're children," said Bruce. "All but Piotr. You sent children to rescue me from a military installation."

Piotr was nineteen; thus, technically, an adult.

"With you, Sif and Logan gone, someone had to watch the school," said Xavier.

"You had a 17-year-old boy freeze a man," said Bruce. "I wouldn't call that responsible. Bobby, you can borrow my therapist."

"Thank you, Dr. Banner," said Bobby.


	20. Chapter 20

Author's Note: Thank you, Dancing Eyes, for my first review. I hope it's the first of many. I write fan fiction to amuse myself, but I post it for other people to also enjoy. That being said, let's get on with the story. I still don't own any of the Marvel characters; however, Dr. Susanne Rosen belongs to me.

xxxx

The next day, Bruce called Susanne to tell her that he got an all expense paid trip to Washington thanks to General Ross and there was a young man at the school that use some crisis intervention. Bruce went to see Xavier. "My therapist is coming to see Bobby today. You will not mess with her head."

"I shall just make her forget the location after she leaves, so she can't lead anyone back here," said Xavier.

"Fair enough," said Bruce. "Tony had a hard time finding a therapist willing to treat the Hulk. I would like to keep her."

"You need your therapy," said Xavier. "I wouldn't take her away from you. Maybe, you can find a therapist for Logan because I can't do anything more for him."

"You're giving up on Logan," said Bruce.

"I would never give up on him," said Xavier. "His mind is too damaged for me to tamper with. He needs to find some other way to get the answers he needs."

xxxx

Bruce opened the door for Susanne and hugged her. "How's it going?"

"Mike and I talked and he decided, if I was going to continue to treat you, I could find another boyfriend." Susanne wiped a tear off her face. "He said he wouldn't be there when I returned home." Then she noticed the IV pole. "That's glucose."

Bruce showed her the IV in his arm. "I'm still diluting the shit General Ross gave me. I'm a bit less woozy than I was yesterday."

"I don't know how much help I'm going to be today," said Susanne. "I'm going through my own crisis at the moment."

"I shouldn't have egged him on by talking about the mutant registration act." Dragging his IV pole, Bruce followed Susan. "A lot of people are uncomfortable about mutants, especially when it comes to mutants teaching their children."

After walking into the mansion that was converted into a private school, Susanne sat on the living room sofa. "How did you end up in General Ross's care?"

"Either Sif's doctor or someone who works there squealed," said Bruce. "My students rescued me. I can't imagine the look on the General's face when he was told he was outdone by a pregnant woman and a group of high school students."

"I can speak to all the students that rescued you," said Susanne. "Then I can speak to Bobby alone if he wants."

Sif and Bruce had the students that rescued him come to his classroom. Logan also came. Three boys and two girls. The Asian girl looked tougher than the two of the boys, but the youngest of the group was a small girl that looked as harmless as Bruce, which meant she probably was the most dangerous. Susanne had learned not to judge a book by its cover, especially when it came to _gifted_ persons.

Susanne said, "Can you tell me your names?"

The tough-looking girl, Jubilee, spoke first. Then they went left to right: Douglass, Bobby, Piotr and Kitty.

"I heard you rescued Dr. Banner," said Susanne. "You must like your teacher a lot."

"He's a cool teacher," said Douglass. "After Rogue zapped him, he could have packed his bags and left, but he stood his ground."

"That took_ chutzpah,_" said Kitty.

"Are you all in his advanced class?" asked Susanne.

"All but Kitty," said Bobby.

"Next year," said Bruce.

"What made you go to Washington DC after your teacher?" asked Susanne.

"He was in trouble," said Jubilee. "Douglass and Logan tried to sneak off without us. Mrs. Banner stopped them. She needs to teach us some of those moves she did on the guards in our next self-defense class. They couldn't have gotten in without Kitty. Well, they could have by making a lot more noise and wouldn't have got out as quickly."

"We needed you to turn off the power," said Piotr.

"I short-circuited a few electrical panels," said Jubilee. "It was nothing."

"Why didn't you just let Douglass, Logan and Mrs. Banner go?" asked Susanne.

"We're X-Men," said Kitty.

"And?" said Susanne.

"Dr. Banner has a medical condition - too much stress causes his body to metamorphosize - it isn't any different that having diabetes," said Kitty, "since adrenaline is a hormone like insulin. We couldn't let him be experimented on by military doctors wanting to create better soldiers."

"You aren't frightened of him?" asked Susanne.

"No way," said Kitty. "He's a good teacher."

Jubilee said, "We were a bit scared of Rogue when she changed into the she-hulk. I'm embarrassed to say that I ran out of the room. Kitty and Douglass also ran."

"I teach at a small community college one night class a week and I don't think any of my students would rescue me if I was kidnapped," said Susanne. "I find you all to be amazing."

"The police and FBI would find you if you were kidnapped," stated Douglass. "The government kidnapped Dr. Banner. It isn't the same thing."

"Mr. Stark and his other Avengers friends could have rescued him," said Susanne. "Why didn't you let the adults handle it?"

"Because I knew where he was," said Douglass.

Susanne said, "Bobby, I heard you killed a man."

"It was self-defense," said Bobby. "Bullets don't bounce off me and I don't heal like Mrs. Banner and Mr. Logan. I was only trying to keep him from hurting me and the others. I didn't mean for him to freeze like that."

"Bobby, why did you come?" asked Susanne.

"In case, the lab got set on fire," said Bobby. "One chemical hits another and boom. We didn't want to be fleeing a fire. I also put up ice walls to keep more soldiers from coming. Dr. Banner got out before they were able to shatter the ice. I could hear them breaking the barriers. The floor gets all wet and all these soldiers are falling down or trying to ice skate."

"That makes sense," said Susanne.

"Those slippery floors kept them from shooting at us while we were escaping," said Bobby.

Kitty said, "I grabbed Piotr and the three of us escaped through the walls, but everyone else needed a doorway."

"My parents had acted like I'm a monster," said Bobby. "My touch killed someone."

Susanne said, "After I talk to the others, we can talk alone."

"Talking isn't going to change anything," said Bobby.

"No, but it can help you cope," said Susanne. "I talk to Dr. Banner a lot about accepting himself as he is."

The doorbell rang while they were talking.

Sif said, "Let Cyclops or Storm get it."

"I'll get it," said Logan. A few minutes later, Logan came back. "It was General Ross. I hope the Professor changes him into a six year old girl. He threatened to do that to me when I smoked in Celebro."

"Logan, go take a cigar break," said Sif. "I'll join you outside."

Logan huffed but left the room. After Sif gave Bruce a kiss, she followed.

Seeing that Bruce was barely keeping his eyes open, Susanne said, "Bruce, do you need me to walk you back to your room?"

"That would be nice," Bruce said pushing his IV stand with him as he walked.

As Bruce led her to his room, Susanne let him lean on her. After they were in his bedroom, Susanne helped him into bed. "I would help you undress, but I can't get your shirt off without taking out your IV."

"Just take my shoes off," said Bruce. "I'm tired enough to sleep fully clothed."

Susanne took off his shoes and put them under his bed. Then she watched him curl up on the bed and fall asleep. Although she hated General Ross for drugging Bruce, she hoped that Professor Xavier didn't change him into a six year old girl. However, that would be funny. She smiled to herself as she left the bedroom to let Bruce sleep.

Running most of the way, Susanne returned to the classroom. "Did you miss me?" she said to the three students sitting on chairs and the other two sitting on the table. Each of the tables had 3 chairs. With 6 tables, the classroom could hold 18 students. She didn't imagine they ever had more than 15 students in here at one time.

"Is Dr. Banner alright?" asked Kitty, one of the students sitting on the table.

"He just needs to sleep it off," said Susanne. "The drugs should be nearly out of his system. He'll probably need to be on a feeding tube, again, until he gets his strength back."

"The poor man," said Kitty.

"He is very lucky to have students like you." Susanne sat on the teacher's desk and waved her feet in the air. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

After she talked to the whole group without the other adults present for a few minutes, she talked to Bobby alone and gave him her number, if he needed to talk later. When she got home, she couldn't remember how she drove to the school or the name of the school. Also she, somehow, lost the directions, even on the computer. No big deal, if she needed to go there, again, she would call Bruce.


	21. Chapter 21

Author's Note: I don't own any of the Marvel characters.

xxxx

The next day, Bruce got a phone call on his cellphone. The one Douglass had found in the military facility and returned to him. He could hear Betty yelling at him. "What did you do to my father?"

"Nothing," said Bruce. "He drugged me. It took me 2 days to get the stuff totally out of my system."

"My father said he went to some prep school. He couldn't remember the name and, when I told him to stop bothering you, he said, 'Bruce who?'" explained Betty. "Did you drug him?"

"No," explained Bruce. "Are you crazy?"

"I'm not the crazy one."

"Good, insult me. Did he tell you that my pregnant wife pounded the shit out of the soldiers guarding me? I suppose not since he doesn't remember me. My wife and I are expecting, so I don't really want to talk old times."

"Expecting?" asked Betty. "I thought you couldn't."

"I'm able to have sex with my wife if I take a sedative first to take the edge off. All these years of failing to find a cure and all I needed was a prescription for Xanax."

"Xanax?"

"It stops my brain from being overexcited," said Bruce. "It's the miracle drug we were looking for, but I'm told it's addictive and I can go through withdrawal if I stop taking it."

"You aren't self-prescribing?"

"No, I don't have license to practice medicine, first off, and, second off, I didn't think there were any drugs on the market that could help my condition. Then your father did shot me with a normal elephant tranquilizer dart, so it has always been a matter of dosing." Bruce didn't say that Hank McCoy was giving him the medication. They decided to try Xanax since Hank didn't like Bruce drinking to take the edge off. "There has been no incidents with major property damage and loss of life since Harlem and your Dad brought me into that disaster to fight the Abomination. It's safer for everyone if I'm left alone."

"My father said I could visit you once your medicine was adjusted, so you could be awake but unable to change into the Hulk," said Betty.

"Really, Betty?"

"Daddy wanted to question you about the she-hulk," said Betty. "And he can't question you while you're sleeping."

"I suppose not." That answered that question. Frank, the bar owner, had squealed. "Was your Daddy planning to keep me imprisoned forever?"

"He didn't say," said Betty.

"There is no she-hulk," said Bruce.

"There were eyewitness reports," said Betty. "She wasn't you in a dress."

"If there are eyewitness reports, then the government has a good idea who the she-hulk is. It was a one-time incident. The girl in question and I are taking steps, so it won't happen, again."

Betty asked, "When's the baby due?"

"April 16th," said Bruce. "Are you seeing someone?"

"I broke up with Leo. I'm not with anyone at the moment."

"Betty, I hope you have good life. Find someone who respects you more than I ever did. You need someone who will care for you and will love you. I wish you every happiness. I really do, but, please, don't call me, again."

"Bruce, I will always love you."

"_And I will always love you_." Bruce smiled although Betty couldn't see his smile through the phone. "_And I wish to you joy and happiness. But above all this, I wish you love._ Since I'm not Whitney Houston, I won't break into song."

"My father may need to be put in a nursing home, so I'm not in the mood for your jokes."

"I love my wife, but you were my first love. I would never joke about that. I'm not good at saying the romantic stuff. Dolly Parton says it better."

"When the Hulk said 'Betty' that was more romantic then flowers and candlelight."

Bruce could hear Betty's gentle sobs over the phone. "I wish I was what you needed but I'm not. I have a wife and a child on the way. Not that long ago being trapped in a military facility with you would have been Valhalla, but now I would be looking for an exit to run into my wife's awaiting arms."

"Valhalla?" asked Betty.

"I met Odin," said Bruce. "He has one eye in Asgard and the other in Valhalla. The Hulk knelt before him in his receiving hall. The All-Father has two wolves guarding him. There was this huge chandelier with a thousand candles lit, but the most beautiful thing on Asgard was my wife, Sif."

"Bruce, I also wish you love."

"I'll send you baby pictures after Dagmar is born. Good-bye, Betty." Bruce hung up his phone, saving the phone number, so he could later send her the baby pictures he promised.

After he put down the phone, he walked over to the danger room to watch Sif working out with the girls. While they were taking a water brake, Bruce went over to hug Sif. "I can't deliver our baby. You need a specialist. With my condition, I can't even be in the delivery room because it's too stressful. I'll call Hank McCoy. He'll know someone."

"I shouldn't have asked," said Sif.

"That so-called doctor said we should have aborted Dagmar," said Bruce. "Hank will make sure we have a good doctor."

Sif wrapped her sweaty body around Bruce and kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

xxxx

Hank found a doctor. She was a mutant, but she didn't want the hospital she worked at knowing. Hank and Sif scheduled the c-section with the obstetrician. Sif laughed about Hank being blue. "Our baby might be green."

Hank said, "She could be blue."

"Then we can't go back to Asgard," said Sif. "People will think she's a frost giant."

Hank frowned at her. "Do you have a problem with blue people?"

"No, you and Kurt are nice blue people," said Sif. "My husband was green when I met him."

Hank weighted her and measured the baby at the X-Men clinic under the school. She would have to go to the hospital for the c-section, but that was months away.

"Is the obstetrician blue?" asked Sif.

"No, she's dark brown like Storm," explained Hank.

xxxx

After sitting in on Bruce's morning class, Logan said, "If I can teach the younger students self-defense, I should be able to teach you enough to make you more comfortable in crowds."

"The energy burst needed to flip someone would change me into the Hulk." Bruce had studied _Jiu-Jitsu_ for several months while in Brazil, so he knew how to block a punch and how to fall properly. "It won't work."

"You're taking Xanax now," said Logan.

"OK," said Bruce. "You, me, private lessons in the danger room."

"It will do wonders for your confidence."

In their first lesson, Logan taught Bruce some basic kicks. Then Bruce showed him what he had learned previously.

"You know the names of the moves," said Logan.

"Some," Bruce said.

"I might have studied Judo for years," said Logan. "My body knows martial arts, but my mind doesn't have the words. It is nice to know I'm not the animal Striker painted. I must have studied under a _sensei_, meaning I was a civilized man at one point of my life."

"You're a _mensch_ as my therapist would say," said Bruce. "People that don't conduct training exercises for future X-Men in the snow pretend they're all civilized, but they shoot monsters on video games."

"While you kill aliens and dragons with your bare hands." Logan seemed to prefer taking the children outside to do training exercises then doing computer simulations in the danger room. Sif, who had never seen a computer before, could bring up menus and run simulations. Logan didn't seem to do cellphones either.

"The next time, Fury asks me to fight bad guys I'll ask if you can come along," Bruce teased.

"You're on." Logan flipped Bruce.

Bruce had tucked his head before rolling onto the mat. "You're suppose to bow first. That says this is a training exercise and you don't intend to kill me." Bruce felt his heart race and the Hulk wanted out, but he kept him in by calming himself.

"Your eyes didn't even get green," said Logan.

Bruce stood. "Next time, bow first."

"A person that tries to mug you won't bow first," said Logan. "You did great. How does the medication work? Can you still change into the Hulk?"

"It takes a bit more work, but, yes." Bruce didn't want Logan knowing how close they came to an incident because he wanted to have another lesson with Logan.

The next day, after school, Bruce joined Logan and the some of the students for no-powers baseball in the snow. After 3 years in Asgard, a little snow didn't bother Bruce. While waiting for his turn at bat, Bruce called Susanne to explain that Xavier had her forgot the location for the children's safety.

It was a bit harder running the bases in the snow, not that Bruce had to run far before the fly ball was caught, ending the inning. Still he was happy he hit the ball. He was also doing yoga, again. In a month, Bruce could flip Logan onto the mat.

xxxx

Author's Note: Mentioning_ I Will Always Love You_ by Dolly Parton does not make this a song fic. Also the author does not share Sif's prejudice against blue people. I love Smurfs. This story takes place in West Chester, New York where even gentiles say an occasion Yiddish word. _Mensch _means a good man, a person with honor.


	22. Chapter 22

Author's Note: I don't own any of the Marvel characters.

xxxx

The day, finally, came. Sif decided to be awake for the c-section. And Bruce decided to come to the hospital but stayed in the waiting area with Logan. Logan wasn't too thrilled that the hospital was a no smoking zone. When Logan needed to smoke, Bruce followed him to the terrace.

"You didn't have to follow me," said Logan.

"I rather not wait alone," said Bruce.

The doctor walked outside to find them. "Your daughter is born. She's 12 pounds 3 ounces."

"Is she blue?" asked Bruce, thinking about Sif's reaction to Hank.

"No, she's a healthy pink," said the doctor.

"My wife is from Asgard," explained Bruce. "Her stitches will heal very fast."

"She was healing as I was taking the baby out," said the doctor. "I never saw anything like that. Dr. Banner, follow me."

Sif had Dagmar on her lap as the nurse wheeled them into a maternity room. Bruce followed them inside. The nurse gave Bruce the baby. "She looks like you."

Then the nurse helped Sif into the bed. "You need to walk."

Bruce looked at his baby. Dagmar was born with a full head of dark brown curly hair. Her blue eyes would probably turn brown. 12 pounds for was big for full term - let alone - eight-months gestation - one month early. She didn't look like a premie. She looked very healthy and normal. Bruce watched as her little hand curled around one of his fingers.

Logan came running down the hall.

A nurse yelled, "You can't smoke that in here."

Logan put it out in his hand as he winced in pain.

"Are you also from Asgard?" asked the nurse.

"No, I'm from Canada," said Logan.

Bruce showed him the baby.

"She has your hair and her mother's eyes," said Logan. "She also has her mother's chin. She's going to be a beauty."

Sif said, "She's a beauty now."

Bruce said, "Yes, she is. Do you want to nurse her?"

Sif reached for the baby as Bruce handed Dagmar to her. The baby lashed onto Sif's breast. "She had her Dad's appetite."

Tony came in the room. "Bruce, go home and rest." He looked at the baby on Sif's breast. "That's a newborn?"

"One month premature," said Bruce. "They took her early. I'll go home. If someone tries to kidnap the baby, I'll cause too much collateral damage."

"We aren't hiding Dag," said Sif.

"No, we aren't. Sif told Ross's men that they shouldn't fear the Hulk; they should fear Mrs. Hulk. Sif, room in with Dag and everything will be great. You need time to recover from major surgery. Then you can wallop anyone who gets near her." Bruce gave Sif a gentle hug then kissed Dagmar's forehead. "I'll see you when you get home. Tony, watch my two girls."

xxxx

On the way home, he sent the picture of Dagmar he had on his phone to Betty. Since he was on the road, Betty couldn't trace the address. Betty texted back, "She isn't green." Bruce wanted to be with his two girls, but if something should happen at the hospital and his anger was provoked, innocent people could be harmed or killed. He needed to distance himself for everyone's safety.

"Why did you leave the hospital?" asked Logan.

"Those people who kidnapped me could have killed me at anytime," said Bruce. "They wanted me alive as an incubator of my cells. Dagmar is half me. Tony will keep her and her genetic material safe. He is better at finding any tissue samples the hospital may have and disposing of them then I am."

Bruce's cellphone rang. Hank McCoy.

"I want to give you a heads-up," said Hank. "This kid was abandoned by his family. When I touch him, I'm no longer blue. We're running tests on him. Do you want in?"

"My mutation keeps me alive," said Bruce. "For more years than I care to admit, I would have willingly died to rid the world of the Hulk, but I now have a wife and child. I can't help you."

"I'll keep you informed," said Hank.

"Thank you." Bruce hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" asked Logan.

"Some kid can cancel mutations with his touch," said Bruce. "With a touch, he can kill someone like you or I that need our mutations to live. Without your healing, your Adamantium-fused bones would kill you."

Tony told him years ago that the Hulk saved him from a lethal dose of radiation. Bruce walked around with lethal levels of radiation in his blood. The Hulk kept him alive. He was a radiation sink, meaning his radiation levels were lower than the surrounding air because he pulled gamma radiation out of the environment. If that kid touched him, he was dead and everyone around him was radioactive.

"And when this child lets go?" asked Logan.

"I guess Hank turns blue, again," said Bruce. "The anti-mutant people might be able to turn him into a weapon."

"Hank won't let that happen," said Logan.

"For your sake and mine, I hope you're right," said Bruce.

"We need to tell Professor Xavier," said Logan.

"If Hank wanted Xavier to know he would have told him, not called me," said Bruce. "We should keep this to ourselves."

"The professor can read my mind," said Logan. "You have some protection as an alien."

"A mind can't be read like a book. You don't think about it and Xavier won't know."

"That's kind like asking someone not to think of pink polka-dotted elephants."

"Tell Xavier about the kid," said Bruce. "Let Xavier handle Scott and Rogue." Then again, Scott couldn't hold the kid's hand forever and being free of his protective glasses for only a few seconds was a tease. It wasn't like they could bottle the kid's mutation.


	23. Chapter 23

Author's Notes: I still don't own Marvel or any of their characters.

xxxx

After the school day ended, Storm asked Bruce to come to the labs below the school. "I want to test you while your wife and baby are still in the hospital."

"No blood work," said Bruce.

"Just your reflexes and things. We don't have know how much Odin changed you," Storm said. "Charles can read your wife's mind in a limited fashion. With you, it's like he's dealing with another telepath."

"I'm a mindless beast that makes play he's still a man," Bruce said without emotion. "Loki isn't a true telepath, but he can do mind-control, so he must see something or, in my case, nothing. I was empty-headed before I went to Asgard."

"You were nominated for a Nobel Prize," said Storm. "You're a lot of things but empty-headed isn't one of them."

"You can run an EEG or MRI or both," said Bruce. "Can you wait until my wife returns before you tell me I have very little brain activity? I'd like to hold onto the illusion that I can think for a little while longer."

Storm said, "The nurse can call Hank to get your medical information, but I'd rather have him here to administrator the medication you need to keep the Hulk from destroying our lab equipment."

"Good-bye then." Bruce started walking toward the elevator to go upstairs. Finding Logan watching television, Bruce said, "I need to get some fresh air. Do you care to join me?"

Logan patted his cigars in his pocket.

xxxx

When Hank McCoy arrived to monitor Bruce's medication for his brain scans, Sif and Dagmar had been home from the hospital for over a day. Hank said, "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Bruce must have had a full work-up done by the military, at least, one of the times he was captured, but he wouldn't be told of the results. Tony could get the results, but why bother.

"Do you want me to hold your hand?" asked Sif.

"No, you stay with Dag," said Bruce. "I'm only going to be in the basement."

"I can bring Dag with me," said Sif.

Bruce kissed Sif's cheek. "The medication can fail and I can change into the Hulk. I don't want to hurt Dag." Bruce hugged Sif. "It just a few tests."

"Can you handle having electrodes attached to your head?" said Hank. "The last two incidents were caused because you were pinned under a car and before that rumble from the Helicarrier falling apart, which shows you don't do well with confinement."

"That's why you're here to check my heartrate and fill my IV full of happy juice," Bruce said.

"I want to do the EEG without medication," said Hank. "We will get better readings that way. Use your deep breathing and all your meditation skills."

"I took Xanax this morning," said Bruce. "I was planned to stop taking it until Sif and I could go back to having sexual relations, but I had an incident while building Dag's swing set."

"You had an incident and didn't tell me," said Hank.

"I was having problems pouring the cement and Sif was running around when her doctor told her bed-rest and I kinda lost it," said Bruce. "It's OK. I'm back on my Xanax."

Sif said, "Hank, nothing happened. The Hulk finished building the swing set and he put a single finger on my belly. He was hugging me when he got small, again."

"Logan was there and the Hulk and Logan have an understanding," said Bruce. "Logan and Sif thought the Hulk would turn the swing set into a pile of twisted metal."

"But he didn't," said Sif. "Logan pushed me away then we watched him assemble the swing set. Bruce is Bruce no matter what shape he takes and he loves Dagmar and me."

"But accidents can happen," said Bruce. "I would never intentionally hurt you."

"Storm also has claustrophobia," Hank said. "I'll be monitoring your vitals. You can do this."

xxxx

Hank watched Bruce's vitals as they put on the cap then placed all the electrodes onto the cap. His eyes appeared out of focus but his breathing was even. Bruce was, obviously, going to his happy place. The EEG showed that Bruce had no brain injuries and his brain waves seemed totally normal. He was a human being with no gross or even minimal abnormalities.

Finally, Hank removed the electrodes then the cap. "You can wake up now."

Bruce said, "Uh."

"I may want to look at these readings further," said Hank. "But you're normal. Nothing in your readings says you're the Hulk or why you're a closed book to Charles. You did a great job meditating. I'm very proud of you."

"Are your readings normal?" asked Bruce.

"No, my brain is larger than a normal and I have more interconnects. Having four hands means my brain is organized differently than people with two hands. You would see on an EEG that my brain has more activity in my motor cortex. I make the needles go crazy because my brain is so active, even at rest. But you need a CT scan or an MRI to see the real differences."

"I'm going to need medication for the MRI," said Bruce. "General Ross put me in a canister. I'll panic."

"You'll need to be unconscious, I'm afraid," explained Hank. "Let's get some lunch and Sif can hold your hand while I administrator the anesthesia. Sif says you're a great cook."

"I lived in some far off places - no Micky D's near by. I make mostly chilies, curries or stews. Whatever looks good at the local market goes into my pot. I'll make you some whatever looks good in the pantry stew, if you're game."


	24. Chapter 24

Author's Note: I still don't own Marvel.

xxxx

While defrosting some ground beef, Bruce opened some cans of beans, tomatoes and corn. He rinsed the beans in a colander before adding them to the tomatoes and corn. He took the ground beef out of the microwave and heated it in another pan. Then he chopped green pepper and onions and added them to the ground beef. After the beef was brown, he poured it into the first pot. Finally, he added spices and seasoning. "Hank, there is no Mrs. McCoy," said Bruce. "So you must cook for yourself."

"A chicken or a steak with a potato and/or a green vegetable," said Hank. "TV dinners. Eggs or cereal for breakfast. I love those frozen breakfast foods. When I get home from a late night at the lab, I can pop something in the microwave."

Bruce set the timer. "I'll get Sif."

Hank watched Bruce stir his pot once more before leaving to get Sif. Hank remembered when Bruce was a grad student then a young post-doc. The young man had such potential. Then he vanished off the radar. Bruce seemed to still have that enthusiasm that Hank lost years ago.

Storm entered the kitchen. "Beast, what's wrong?"

"I was thinking about how Bruce was before his accident," said Hank. "None of us can return to the past. Taking the edge off won't keep the Hulk from making an appearance. I'm allowing one of the brightest minds on the planet to live in a drug-induced haze, and I'm the one prescribing the drugs."

"He went off the medicine and had an incident," said Storm. "He'll need to be on medication the rest of his life unless he returns to be being the Hulk full time."

"Can he do that?" asked Hank.

"Bruce became two people when he returned to Earth," explained Storm. "I don't claim to understand the gods, but Odin most likely could restore Bruce to one integrated person if he so chose. I'm just a weather witch. What do I know?"

After getting up from his chair, Hank stirred the chili. "I wonder what's keeping Bruce?"

When he returned, Bruce was carrying Dagmar in his arms. "I needed to change her diaper. One of the great things about chili is you can eat it anytime. Of course, it tastes better after it's been cooking over a low heat for several hours, but it's eatable after you brown the meat and stir everything together." Bruce put Dagmar into her highchair then stirred the pot. "It smells good."

A second later, Sif took Dagmar out of the highchair, sat her on her lap and began to nurse her. "Bruce, she isn't even a week old."

"She can sit up with support," said Bruce.

Sif held the baby against her breast then rolled her eyes.

Storm said, "Bruce, you're stoned."

"I feel good," said Bruce. "But I'm able to teach and ride my bike. I'm taking the dosage Hank and I agreed on."

"Then we should agree on a bit lower dosage." Hank took a prescription pad out of his coat pocket and wrote a new prescription for Bruce. "Newborn babies don't go in highchairs."

Bruce turned off the stove and the timer. Then he began pouring the chili into bowls. After he gave Storm, Hank and Sif a bowl, he sat down his own bowl and began to eat.

Storm said, "You and your wife should consider going back to Asgard. You came here so she could have Dagmar delivered by caesarian. You have no reason to stay now."

"Don't you like me?" asked Bruce.

"I don't dislike you, but Dagmar would be better off on Asgard," said Storm. "You could return to being the Hulk full-time. Your house on Asgard is adapted for your size."

Without looking at Storm, Bruce continued to eat his food.

"Our house in Asgard is so far from everything," said Sif. "I like teaching battle tactics to the students and Bruce loves teaching. Bruce can just take a pill before we have sex."

"He can go over a year without having an incident," said Storm. "The incident when car fell on him made sense. I also have problems with being closed in; and being trapped and in pain, it was unavoidable, but the other incident was due to him relying on his medication. It should never had happened."

"Psychologists give people this test to fill out to see how much stress they're dealing with." Bruce put his spoon down. "Having a baby is a bunch of points on this test. Then you add all the other points that are related to having a baby and it's understandable why I lost it when Sif refused to stay in bed."

Storm said, "When other expectant fathers lose their tempers they don't change into rage monsters. I was just saying you should consider going back to Asgard."

"Misgard is my home. I was born here. If I go to Asgard and some one slips some magic apples into my food, I can leak radiation, again. I don't want to make people sick or give them cancer. I was trapped there for 3 years last time." Bruce returned to eating his lunch.

"You nearly picked the tree clean," said Sif.

"We don't know how many apples I need to eat to start leaking radiation," said Bruce. "Hank and I can adjust my medication or try a different medication."

"General Ross isn't the only person interested in the Hulk, and your daughter has half your genes," said Storm. "She will never be safe here."

"The anti-mutant people stormed this school last year," said Bruce. "So cut the crap. Dag has the x-gene - same as the other people here. I don't know why I don't appear on Celebro or why Professor X can't read my mind, but my EEG says I'm a normal human being."

Hank said, "Maybe, the MRI will give us some answers."

xxxx

After lunch, Kitty agreed to watch Dagmar, so Sif could hold Bruce's hand until the anesthesia took affect. Other than some of the areas of his brain that deal with emotion being more active than they should have been in an unconscious mind, his brain was normal. Hank had no answers for Bruce or Charles.

After Hank moved Bruce to a hospital bed to sleep off the anesthesia, Hank went upstairs to talk to Charles, but Charles was talking to his mind by the time he reached the elevator. _Old friend, your brain has gross abnormalities and, yet, I can reach your mind. Your colleague's brain has no abnormalities and, yet, I can't reach him._

_Bruce says he feels the Hulk in his head all the time_, Hank said to Charles's mind. _His hypothalamus is very active even when he's unconscious. I'm amazed he has the control he does. All I can figure is magic keeps you out; the boy is under Odin's protection._ By active, sugar was being used. Not enough was known about the mind/brain connection to tell why those areas in his brain used more sugar than in a normal unconscious brain.

Hank didn't mean to call Bruce a boy, but he met Bruce when the younger man was was a graduate student. So in his mind, Hank must have still seen Bruce as a boy.

_Odin's protection_, Charles said to Hank's mind. _I'm sorry to have wasted your time._

Hank smiled to himself. Science was never a waste of time. Hank had found Sif in the bedroom with Dag in her crib sleeping. "I was born with hand-feet." Hank wiggled his finger-like toes. "Bruce shouldn't have put a newborn into a highchair, but she did appear to be holding herself up for the short time she was in that chair."

"She was," said Sif. "Wasn't she?"

Hank continued to look at his feet. "She wasn't slumped over or falling out."

"I don't know anything about babies and less about mutant babies."

"My parents knew less," said Hank. "They had me hide my differences."

"But you're blue," said Sif.

"I wasn't blue until I was an adult. I was just a kid with a big brain and hand-feet." Hank cradled the sleeping baby in his arm while he walked with his other three limbs. "Bruce shouldn't wake up alone."

Sif yelled, "Wait up."

"I have the baby," said Hank. "You need to catch up with me."

xxxx

Author's Notes: I love Beast from X-Men: Generations. So I'm sorry if some of the characterization comes from that cartoon and not from X-Men: First Class. The hand-feet comments are from X-Men: First Class though. I don't remember Beast from X-Men: The Last Stand. Kelsey Grammer's beautiful voice was too distracting in a good way.


	25. Chapter 25

Author's Note: I still don't own Marvel.

xxxx

Before school let out for the summer, Jimmy's blood was made into a serum that could cure mutants of their mutations. Bruce called Hank McCoy, who was caring for Jimmy and assisting the scientists at the Worthington lab. As much as Warren Worthington Jr. disliked mutants he must have found the mutant boy having a furry blue nanny to be enjoyable because he paid Hank a good salary to watch the boy. "Hank, a young lady that just turned eighteen would like to be a test subject and we need to talk face-to-face."

"You can't touch Jimmy," said Hank. "I can wear protective clothing, but he can't touch you in protective clothing. You were radioactive for 3 years after eating those apples."

"We'll just talk and look over the research." Bruce wouldn't put Jimmy or any other child in danger.

After kissing Sif and Dagmar good-bye, Bruce and Rogue went through airport security. Since Jimmy was moved to Alcatraz for his safety, Tony and Pepper met them at San Francisco Airport. After hugging Bruce, Tony lifted Bruce's shirt.

"No belly hole," said Bruce. "I let the Hulk out to play before and after finals."

"I thought finals are only stressful for the students," teased Tony.

"Hi," said Rogue.

"Howdy, you must be Rogue," said Tony. "I'm Tony."

"Bruce's bestie," said Rogue. "He talks about you all the time."

"Good I hope," said Tony.

"Only the best," said Rogue. "You look human to me, so I think he exaggerates."

Bruce blushed a little.

"Dr. Banner's final was challenging but not too stressful. Storm's final made me sweat. Professor Xavier gave the English final," Rogue said. "Tony, never bullshit a telepath."

Tony smiled. "I'll remember that."

Tony and Pepper drove them to the ferry then waved to them as they boarded the boat. Tony motioned to his phone for them to call him when it was over.

Bruce put an arm around Rogue. "It will be fine."

"I love him so bad and I've been terrible to him," said Rogue.

"I know," Bruce said.

Rogue got her shot first. Rolling up her glove to look at the bandage-covered injection-site wound, she said, "That's it." She removed her glove the rest of the way then touched Hank. "I'm not blue."

"No, you're not." Bruce hugged her, not noticing one of her gloves was off. "The last time I touched you, I lost unconsciousness and you became a she-hulk."

Rogue was crying in Bruce's arms. "I'm normal."

"Normal is overrated," said Bruce. "Let's go home."

Hank said, "Don't you want to look over my lab notes."

"You can email them to me."

"You came all this distance," said Hank.

Warren Worthington Jr. walked over to them. "Furball, who's your friend?"

Bruce held out his hand. "You must be Mr. Worthington. I've heard a lot about you. I'm Dr. Banner. Your equipment uses my ceramic."

Warren shook his hand. "Isn't this a bit out of your field?"

"Cold temperature physics is out of my field. My superconductor came about due to serendipity. Mr. Stark and I were designing upgrades to his suit, in case, I wasn't there to catch him." Bruce said that to see the look on the man's face. Warren Worthington Jr., who had a mutant son, was known for hating mutants. "This is more my field."

Mr. Worthington must have not understood the reference. Then Mr. Worthington's son, Archangel, caught a lot of people falling out of the sky.

"This one ceramic had some interesting properties and I started tweaking. My research belongs to Stark Industries, so I'm not at liberty to say more." That was a lie. After the patent was approved. Bruce wrote several journal articles about his discovery. He was just trying to raise the bigot's ire.

"You're a poor spy since I saw Mr. Stark drive you to the ferry," said Worthington.

"You have nothing Mr. Stark's wants." Bruce wasn't a spy. He was a ticking time bomb, set to explode all over Mr. Worthington's data. The problem was he gave his name and, if he exploded, he would have to go back to Asgard because he couldn't hide with a wife and newborn.

"He's probably hacking into my computers while you talk to my pet mutant," said Worthington.

"He doesn't need a distraction to hack into your computers," said Bruce. "Hank, you shouldn't let him call you Furball."

"I get called worse," said Hank.

"That doesn't make it right," said Bruce.

"I'm here for Jimmy. Warren can lay an egg as far as I care. I just want to make sure the boy isn't harmed. I also want to make sure that Warren doesn't do anything unethical with the vaccine." Hank stood up and gave Warren a glance. "We understand each other. Don't we, Warren?"

Bruce smiled - _lay an egg_. Warren's son had feathers. "Hank, email me your notes."

"Furball, you hit that send button and your blue ass is fired," said Worthington.

Hank shrugged his shoulders. "Since we are still in the testing phase, we don't know if the vaccine is temporary or permanent. Rogue, I would hate for you to learn it's temporary while you're touching someone."

"If I need booster shots, I'll get them," Rogue said. "To touch someone even for a few minutes is more than I could ask for."

Hank hugged Rogue. "Please, be careful."

After hugging Bruce, Rogue walked out of the lab. Warren took the bait and followed her. The Hulk would make sure there were no booster shots. Bruce didn't take his glasses off. Saving all his students from the serum in this lab was worth more than a pair of glasses or any of his clothes. They rescued him; it was time he rescued them.

Bruce thought about his students and how much he loved teaching. Bruce and Sif had decided to spend the summer on Asgard and return to teaching in the fall. Now he wouldn't be able to return to Misgard, but he couldn't let his students down. "Hank, get the boy."


	26. Chapter 26

Author's note: I don't own Marvel. They are so lucky because I tend to break my toys.

xxxx

Hank was halfway to Jimmy's cell when he heard the Hulk's roar. He then heard lab equipment being thrown and the screams of people fleeing. Hank held the Jimmy close to his chest as he fled the building. Finally, he met Rogue and Pepper outside.

"Take the boy," said Hank.

Pepper cuddled Jimmy while Warren watched his lab destroyed.

"Warren," said Hank, "Dr. Banner told you he caught Ironman. As you said he's a lousy spy. And you worried about your computers being hacked."

"He works for Stark Industries," said Warren. "I will sue you."

"He walked away from his contract," said Pepper. "And when the Hulk wants to walk, you let him walk."

"I get the police involved and a judge will give him innocent by reason of insanity," said Worthington. "It isn't like any mental hospital can hold the Hulk. I'm better off suing you for damages."

Pepper smiled. "Then I'll see you in court."

The building where the laboratory was was starting to collapse under the Hulk's assault. Warren yelled at the head of security. "Why aren't you doing something?"

"Bullets are useless against the Hulk," said the security officer. "I'm not sending my men in to be killed."

"Then shot him with a dart filled with the vaccine," said Warren.

"I don't have a dart gun handy," explained the officer, "Besides we don't know what the vaccine will do to him, if anything. We could end up with a 20 foot monster, instead of a 9 foot monster. Ironman appears to have an handle on the situation."

"The Hulk worked for Ironman!" Warren shouted. "Ironman is a laser to Hulk's sledgehammer."

Whatever documents or vials the Hulk misses, Ironman will destroy, Hank laughed to himself. Warren was right about that. But it wasn't corporate espionage; Bruce took offense to Hank being called Warren's pet mutant. This was personal. Hank could almost see the steam coming out of Warren Worthington Jr.'s ears. All the dust and smoke was clouding Hank's vision, ruining his view of the destruction. As much as he wanted to join in, Hank stayed put since the vaccine would work on him.

Pepper said, "I hope Tony can calm him down. I would hate to see Alcatraz destroyed."

Hank heard Tony's voice. "Come on, Big Guy! Follow me out!"

Rumble was still raining down. All the employees were hopefully outside. A man in a red and gold suit was flying through the rumble. "Come on, Big Guy!"

The Hulk was lumbering behind him. Rogue ran over, but she didn't approach the Hulk too closely, giving him a respectful distance. "Dr. Banner, you're a bit dusty."

He wiped his face with his big hand then nodded at Rogue.

"No booster shots," said Rogue.

Tony raised his face mask. "I saved a historic prison."

Pepper ran over to him and hugged him. "Good work. Warren wants to sue us for giving our former employee a lift."

"You planned this," said Worthington.

"I plan nothing - ruins the spontaneity," replied Tony.

After the Hulk grew smaller, Bruce stood there holding up his ripped pants with one hand. "I need a bath and some new clothes."

xxxx

After giving Bruce new clothes, Tony and Pepper took Bruce and Rogue out to eat at a fancy restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf. Since the plane ride home was early the next morning, Bruce got Rogue and himself hotel rooms for the night. Rogue wrapped her arms around Bruce as they rode back from the airport by motorcycle. At the door of the school, she was greeted by Logan. They hugged and kissed.

"Bobby was my age and I thought," said Rogue.

"We're together now," said Logan.

"You don't mind that I'm no longer a mutant," said Rogue.

"I love you," said Logan.

Bruce walked away to give the happy couple some privacy. Instead of finding Sif and Dagmar in his room, Kitty was sitting on the floor, stacking cups with Dagmar.

"Where is Sif?" asked Bruce.

"She left you a note," said Kitty. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Take Dagmar and leave the room," said Bruce in what he hoped was a non-threatening voice. With him being the Hulk, his softest voice could be seen as threatening. The day before Tony had stopped him from destroying a famous prison. The Hulk could have easily pounded Alcatraz into rumble.

"Dr. Banner, we'll go for a walk," said Kitty.

"Go," said Bruce. "Please, go. Kitty, I didn't mean to scare you. I have a feeling Sif left me a 'Dear John' letter and I rather read that alone."

Kitty picked up Dagmar and had Dagmar wave hand over hand. "Bye bye, Daddy," said Kitty.

Bruce kissed Dagmar's forehead. "Daddy missed you."

Kitty waved once more then took the baby out of the room.


	27. Chapter 27

Author's Note: I tend to write stories that take the over one year without an incident to heart, so I tend not to have many Hulk scenes. But here is one. I hope you enjoy it. By the way, I still don't own the Avengers.

xxxx

Tony lifted up his mask as he landed near the Hulk. "Hi, Big Guy."

Hulk stopped smashing and looked at Tony. Then he smiled. "Hulk catch Metal Man."

"Metal Man is very thankful." Tony smiled up at the Hulk, seeing Bruce's features in the big green man. "Good catch, by the way."

The Hulk just smiled at him.

"It looks like I have to do the talking," said Tony. "I'm told I talk enough for twenty people."

The Hulk grunted.

"Everyone is a critic," said Tony. "I'd like to talk to Bruce, if that isn't a problem."

"Bruce not home. Leave message," said the Hulk.

Tony wrapped his arms around the Hulk to hug him, remembering what Betty told him. "You a funny guy, too. When Bruce comes home, you tell him that the metal man loves him." Tony continued to hold onto the Hulk until he got smaller in his arms then he continued to embrace Bruce in a bear hug.

"I'm sorry," said Bruce.

"Nothing to be sorry about," said Tony. "I'm going to give that Parker kid what for."

"Don't." Bruce held his ripped jeans up with one hand.

"He upset you," said Tony.

"The drip has a problem," said Bruce.

Tony stopped hugging Bruce. "You think?"

"When I stop the drip, adrenaline floods my body," said Bruce. "So using it is pretty much instant other guy."

"That isn't a problem,' said Tony. "I can build you a room in the Tower and another room in Malibu. You saved these guys a shitload of money in explosives."

Looking at the damaged building, Bruce smiled. "A few beams are still standing."

After Bruce was clear of the building, Tony took the last beams out with his laser. "They should pay us the demolition fee."

Slowly walking over to Pepper, still holding his pants up, Bruce gave a small smile. "Can I have my wedding ring back?"

"It's in the limo," said Pepper.

"Pepper, call Happy for a ride," said Tony. "I'll meet you two back at the Tower."

xxxx

Pepper handed Bruce the wedding ring and he slipped it on his finger. Then Bruce folded the tux and put in on his lap.

Bruce said, "That wedding ring should have been yours."

"Tony needs someone to care for," said Pepper. "I was too busy caring for his needs to see that. Tony and I are still friends. It's easier this way."

"The easy choices, sometimes, aren't the right ones." Bruce looked at his ring. "You can still go back to the party."

Pepper rubbed some of the dirt off her face. "Not without a bath."

Pepper waited in the living room of the penthouse while Bruce took a shower then changed into jeans and a tee shirt. No shoes. "Tony must have gone back to the party," said Pepper. "Or he's working on his suit."

"Or he is reinforcing a room, so I have somewhere to go after I use my drip," said Bruce. "When I tested it in the lab, I didn't flood my body with adrenaline that would have nowhere to go once I stopped using the beta-blockers. I should had taken that into consideration."

"You can't think of everything."

"That's a pretty big oversight." Bruce put his tux in his room, ready to be used, again. Although most of his clothes were in the master bedroom, he considered the yoga room to be his private little corner of the penthouse. "I should pack for tomorrow. My laptop, my prayer beads and as much clothes as I can squeeze into my backpack."

"And your Buddha."

Bruce smiled. "The Buddha will make me think of shopping with Tony. You should have seen the look on his face while I was checking price tags."

Pepper also smiled. "I can imagine."

xxxx

Pepper watched as Bruce put three sets of clothes then the Buddha and the laptop in his backpack. Bruce wrapped his coffee mug inside his clothes, so it wouldn't break on the journey. The prayer beads went in the front pocket. "Shirts, pants, socks and underwear for three days. That's all?"

"You be surprised how much many times I've treated patients in borrowed clothes and no shoes," said Bruce.

"Here you are with all your problems and you're going halfway around the world to treat strangers. No wonder Tony loves you."

"I didn't get to hear you sing a lullaby."

Pepper sat on the sofa. After Bruce was lying against her, she sang, "Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li." She was still singing when she notice that Bruce had fallen asleep on her lap.

Tony came in the door. "Honey, I'm home."

"Shh," whispered Pepper. "He's asleep."

"I put you through so much and you're still by my side," said Tony.

Pepper grinned. "I'm a sucker for punishment and you pay well."

Tony walked over to the bar. "Would you like a drink?"

Pepper touched Bruce's still wet curls. "You better make it a double."

"It's enough that you babysit me." Tony poured her scotch first and handed it to her. "You don't have to babysit my husband."

One hand was combing through Bruce's curly hair while the other was holding her scotch. Then everyone looked innocent while sleeping. "I'm never doing that, again."

"I'll have a room set up for him next time," said Tony. "Until that Parker kid got in his face, I think he was enjoying the party."

"It isn't fair to him," said Pepper. "He shouldn't have to go through all this just because you want him hanging off your arm all evening."

"He worked over a month to create the medicine necessary for him to attend a function without fear of changing into the Hulk." Tony downed his own scotch then poured himself another shot. "No one forces Bruce to do anything against his will. Come on. He changes into a huge rage monster."

Pepper downed her scotch in three gulps. "Yes, I get all that."

"Then you know Bruce wanted to be there," said Tony. "Back when he was a professor, he attended conferences and conventions. I don't know if he will want to attend another charity dinner, but now he knows he can."


	28. Chapter 28

Author's Note: I don't own the Marvel or their characters.

xxxx

Before Bruce had a chance to call Tony, Tony called to tell him, "Worthington's lawyers had told him he couldn't sue me for damages done by a mentally ill person I dropped off at his place of business. It didn't matter that it was well-documented that I paid for and supervised your therapy. If you didn't know you were going to get upset then how could I know. But, mostly, the lawyers didn't want it getting out that you, probably, _became angry_ because Worthington was keeping a minor child in a prison cell. A minor child being held in Alcatraz is very bad. Therefore, Worthington's lawyers told him to take the loss."

Bruce was laughing his ass off by now.

"I understand that you're happy that you don't have to appear in court," said Tony. "But it isn't that funny."

"I call it a medical condition," Bruce said between giggles. "But you make it sound like I got a bit upset and kicked a computer or ripped up some important papers. The Hulk trashed a building for the gods' sakes."

"Still not that funny," said Tony.

"My wife left me," said Bruce. "According to Jane and Thor, she's back with the Warriors Three and sleeping with Volstagg - a friends with benefits thing. She doesn't want to see me, again. Thus, I'm stoned."

"You can't solve anything with drugs. You're talking to a recovering alcoholic."

"I used to be able to go over a year without an incident. Two years if you don't count me swallowing a bullet as a real incident. I'm used to the medication. I had a incident because Sif didn't stay in her bed when she was on bed-rest, so after hearing about Sif and Volstagg, I took a bit more medicine that I usually do. It's fine."

"Are you OK with this?"

"I'm happy." Bruce giggled. "Happiness from a pill is as real to the intoxicated mind as happiness from bio-chemicals."

"You're stoned."

"Tomorrow, I'll go back to my normal level of medication. The same healing that keeps my body from being injured by the high level of drugs in my system also keeps me from building up a tolerance. So every day, it's like I'm taking my medication for the first time."

"Then you can quit."

"When you drink, you cause kidney and liver damage. I'm not hurting myself and I'm keeping the world safe from the Hulk. It's a win-win."

"How does Susanne feel about the medication?"

"She wants me on the lowest dose I can take and be Hulk-free."

"Letting the Hulk out would be more therapeutic than numbing yourself."

"I did that soon after Jane told me the news and Thor confirmed it. I felt good right after I let the Hulk out, but the anger came back. The Hulk can level a city. Using the danger room isn't totally safe because the Hulk could break a wall. Me being duped up is safer for everyone." Professor X had alarms that would notify everyone that the Hulk had escaped. And the Hulk liked Logan and Hank, but it could still get messy.

"But you aren't dealing."

"I'm doing the best I can at the moment."

"I expect better from you." Tony said. "I'm coming out there. What's the point of being Ironman if you can't use the suit to visit friends in crisis? Just you and me."

"Did you destroy all the off-site files?"

"All the off-site files on the anti-mutant vaccine are gone," said Tony. "We destroyed every computer, vial, test tube or beaker he had in the lab. Fury is worried enough about the mutant/anti-mutant problem that he feels you being at that school is more important than you being an Avenger. Just so you know, Fury has files on your friend Logan."

"And?" Bruce asked.

"Fury didn't know about the amnesia and always wondered why Logan fell off the map," said Tony. "According to Fury, Logan is one of the good guys."

The doorbell rang.

"Someone is at the door," said Bruce. "Storm, Hank or Logan will get it. Cyclops went off to look for Jean and hasn't been back. Then Professor X went off to look for him or something. The Professor talks to Storm. I'm just the substitute teacher."

"We can talk more face-to-face," Tony said. "See you in a few, Big Guy."

"Bye," Bruce said as the call disconnected.

xxxx

Mr. and Mrs. Pryde were in the living room, yelling at their daughter.

"I need to stay here and watch Dagmar for Dr. Banner," Kitty yelled back.

"Is he paying you?" asked Mrs. Pryde.

Bruce walked over to them. "I can. How does a 150 dollars a week sound?"

"Wonderful," said Kitty.

"Then you're Dagmar's new nanny. We'll fill out the paperwork and I'll get you a check for your back-pay." Since Bruce had money from the sales of his superconductor, he wasn't exactly a broke teacher. Now that Worthington Labs wasn't suing him, he could use some of his money to hire a nanny if he chose. When the school year started, Kitty would need to be in class, so this was strictly a summer job.

Terry Pryde, Kitty's mother, said, "You can't hire our 16 year old daughter to be your nanny."

Bruce smiled at her. "Kitty turned me down when I asked her to be my nanny, but she has been helping to watch my four month old since my wife left me." Bruce picked up Dagmar to give her a hug. "Daddy will be back." Then he put the baby back on her baby gym and playmat.

"That baby isn't four months old," said Terry Pryde.

"I'm a mutant; thus, my baby is a mutant," said Bruce.

"Kitty didn't get her mutant power until she was 13," said Carmen Pryde, Kitty's father.

"Dag doesn't appear to have any mutant power at this time; she's just mature for her age." Bruce looked at his four month old daughter sitting without assistance, spinning a wheel. "She probably won't get her power until puberty."

"What is your mutant power?" asked Carmen.

Bruce sat down near his daughter.

"You're stoned and you hired our teenage daughter to watch your child," said Carmen. "We have the right to know."

"I'm stoned because my wife left me and I just learned she's having an affair. You much rather have me stoned than angry." Bruce kissed Dag's forehead then got up and headed to his room. After putting together some paperwork using his computer then hitting the print button, he took his checkbook from his drawer and collected the paperwork then headed back to the living room. "And I'm not that stoned since I can still put together legal documents. I need your social security card."

Kitty gave Bruce her social security card.

Bruce took it back to his room to photocopy it then he returned it to Kitty. Then Bruce and Kitty filled out the paperwork while her parents watched. "Here's a check for 300 dollars that will cover your first two weeks."

Kitty looked at the check in her hands. "My first paycheck."

"Don't spend it all in one place," teased Bruce. "The next check will be a bit less because all the taxes will be taken out. Mr. Pryde, you and your wife must know why you rather have me stoned than angry. My name was mentioned on the CNN when they reported that Worthington Laboratories was a pile of rumble." No causalities. The Hulk had kept his head enough to smash the smaller items until everyone left the building.

Mrs. Pryde looked at the man with the slightly glossed-over eyes, competing the paperwork he had her daughter sign. "Oh my God." Then she whispered something to her husband.

Kitty folded the check and put it in her pocket.

"Summer job will teach her responsibility," said Mrs. Pryde.

Bruce looked over the working papers. "Mr. or Mrs. Pryde, one of you needs to sign here."

Mrs. Pryde signed the paper. "What is BannerTech?"

"Pepper Potts said it would be easier for Stark Industries if I was incorporated. Ms. Potts did the paperwork. I hold the patent for the first and presently only room temperature superconductor," said Bruce. "Since I already have a company, it wasn't all that difficult to make Kitty my employee."

Kitty kissed her mother's cheek. "Thanks, Mom."

Terry Pryde asked, "Dr. Banner, did CNN ask you to tell your side?"

"Yes, but I'm nervous about the cameras," said Bruce. "My friend is coming over, and he knows more about PR than I ever will. We can all go out for a nice dinner somewhere since he has plenty of disposable income. I'll be more alert by dinner."

"Is more alert a good thing?" asked Mr. Pryde.

"If I don't think about my wife being with that no-good muscle-bound jerk when she should be here taking care of our daughter, I'll be fine." Bruce smiled, enjoying the drugs. He blamed Sif. He liked Volstagg; he was a good man. "See, Kitty, no green in my eyes. I'm going to sleep it off."

Bruce scanned in the paperwork then he kicked off his shoes, curled up in bed and went to sleep to be woken by a knock on his bedroom door.


	29. Chapter 29

Author's Note: I still don't own Marvel.

xxxx

"Dr. Banner, Mr. Stark is here and over half the girls in the school are asking for his autograph," said Kitty. "You better get out here."

Bruce changed into clothing suitable for a nice restaurant, which included gray trousers, a button-down shirt, a tweed jacket and his best loafers. Then he opened the door. "I'm a bit more sober now."

Holding Dag in her arms, Kitty looked him over. "You look like a professor."

"That's the idea," said Bruce.

"You looked like a druggie when you greeted my parents," said Kitty. "I was so embarrassed."

"I'm going to be on CNN. I would have liked it to be for my work on cold temperature physics. Dr. Drew works with drug treatment centers and I'm going to have to appear on TV stoned or my nerves will trash the studio. Now that's embarrassing." After taking Dagmar from Kitty, Bruce followed Kitty to the living room.

Tony ran over to Bruce and hid behind him. "You have to save me from this horde of teenage girls."

"You've dealt with teenage girls before," said Bruce.

"But these girls have mutant powers," said Tony, in hopefully fake terror. He was too melodramatic for it to be real terror.

"I'm stoned, remember?" teased Bruce. "You're on your own."

"Please, I'm begging you," said Tony, still hiding behind Bruce.

"Girls, no more asking Mr. Stark the color of his underwear or boxers or briefs," said Bruce. "The next person to ask Mr. Stark for an autograph or bother him in anyway will have to change Dag's diapers for the next two days."

All the girls but Kitty walked away and headed in different directions in groups of two or three.

Tony kissed Bruce's cheek. "Thank you."

"Stinky diapers are scarier than the Hulk," teased Bruce. "Tony, have you met Dag's nanny, Kitty Pryde? These are her parents, Carmen and Terry Pryde."

"Hello, I'm Tony Stark." Tony said, walking back toward the living room.

"The Prydes came all the way from Chicago to see Kitty," explained Bruce. "I would like us all to have dinner together."

"Under one condition." Tony put an arm around Bruce. "We go on a real date later."

Bruce looked down and nodded.

"Kitty, do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?" asked Tony. "She or he is invited to dinner."

"Dag's nanny doesn't get a date," said Bruce.

"Bruce, I'm paying, so you don't make the rules," said Tony. "Kitty, go get your friend."

Kitty put Dagmar on her playmat then walked off. Bruce sat down at the baby's level. He touched the toys on the baby gym and interacted with Dagmar while Tony watched. Finally, Tony sat down beside him and put an arm around Bruce's shoulder.

xxxx

Kitty ended up bringing Jubilee since she didn't want to hurt Bobby's or Piotr's feelings. Bobby would be leaving for Harvard in a few weeks. When someone asked for Tony's autograph, he said, "We have another superhero at the table."

Bruce blushed.

Then Tony said, "The girl who walks through walls."

Kitty signed the napkin. "Shadowcat."

The woman looked at the signature. "Senator Kelly talked about you when proposing anti-mutant legislation."

Kitty said, "Watch."

The woman held the napkin held close to her chest as Kitty phased her hand through the table.

"Wow," said the woman.

Tony said, "The show is over. Get back to your table."

xxxx

While Tony and Bruce were talking about Bruce going on CNN, Mrs. Pryde whispered something to Kitty.

"Dr. Banner loves his wife," said Kitty. "He is so not gay."

"Kitty, thanks for supporting me." Bruce was resting against Tony on the sofa. "I don't know if I'm bisexual or just affection starved. Mr. Stark is bisexual. The press is more interested in the women he is seen with than the men. My wife brought a man into the house we used to share on Asgard. Mr. Stark holding me takes the pain away."

Kitty said, "We didn't need to know that."

"Kitty, you'll need to watch Dagmar while Tony and I are in Atlanta. Your parents can stay here if Storm approves," Bruce said. "I'll give you some money for diapers and incidentals. She has plenty of formula. That three hundred dollars is your pay. You aren't to use it on Dag."

Terry said, "We'll go."

"Mom, I can handle a baby for a few days." Kitty kissed her mother's cheek. "I have Storm and Hank here if I need assistance."

Bruce said, "You're Dag's nanny. Storm and Hank have a school full of children to watch. They're only for emergencies."

"Got it," said Kitty.

"Tony, I need to show Kitty how to give Dag her bath," explained Bruce.

"Sif showed me," said Kitty. "She didn't know how long you were going to be in California. She told me where all of Dag's things were. I had to explain the concept of formula when she told me to give Dag goat's milk."

"If she could stay to instruct you on how to care for our baby, why didn't she stay long enough to say good-bye to me?" Bruce had tears in his eyes. "She left me a dear John letter."

Tony put an arm around Bruce. "She didn't have the courage to face you. Part of her knew she would take one look at your face and she would melt. How could anyone say no to that face?"

Bruce smiled. "Tony is going to help me pack. I need to look like someone who teaches at a prep school. Tony and I will need to spend several hours going over how I need to present myself and what I can and can't say on TV."

"Spin is very important," said Tony. "You can't let the interviewer know you let the Hulk out to save your children, but at the same time, you don't want to look like you could change into an enormous green rage monster any second."

"Why can't he tell people that Mr. Worthington had a vaccine that could harm people like my daughter?" asked Terry Pryde. "And he needed to be stopped."

"Being morally right doesn't give you the right to break the law," said Tony. "Maslow's hierarchy of needs be damned. Bruce knew when he consciously broke the law that he could become a fugitive, again, but he did it anyway. Just because I kept him from being chased by the national guard and, possibly, the army, doesn't mean he should tell the world he committed a criminal act with full knowledge of what he was doing."

Mrs. Pryde nodded.

"We need him here fighting for mutant rights," said Tony. "He can't do that if he's sitting in a hospital for the criminally insane drugged out of his mind."

Bruce put a hand on his waist. "I'm a tool."

Tony put an arm around him. "You're more than a tool to me. I would carry you home and ask you to be my husband, but the world needs you more."

"You would?" Bruce looked into Tony's eyes.

Tony touched Bruce's face then kissed him on the lips. Tears ran down Bruce's face as he wrapped his arms around Tony and returned the kiss. After the kiss was over, Tony said, "I don't understand how Sif could leave you. Big Guy, I would never leave you."

Bruce sucked back the tears.

"Remember how much I love you." Tony wrapped an arm around Bruce. "You have to explain to the TV audience that you rarely have an incident, but your medicine can fail. Eyewitnesses saw you arguing with Warren Worthington Jr. just before you changed. You can do this."

Bruce nodded.

"Kitty, you want to stay out here while I help Dr. Banner pack?" asked Tony.

Mr. and Mrs. Pryde kissed their daughter good-bye and left.


	30. Chapter 30

Author's Note: I don't own anything more than my toothbrush. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

xxxx

The following morning, Kitty and the other students saw Dr. Banner on CNN. He was going to be on a hour long interview show later that day. Moments before the interview, everyone at the school gathered around the TV, except Jimmy and Hank, who watched TV from their bedroom. Kitty had Dagmar on her lap.

"Dr. Banner, it is nice to finally meet you," said the host, shaking Dr. Banner's hand.

"It's good to be here." Dr. Banner let go of his hand and walked over to his seat. "I'd like to say hello to all my students." Finally, he sat down.

"You can say the name of the school," said the host.

"I rather not. It's a small school and we don't need or desire that kind of attention."

The host asked, "Didn't you teach at Berkeley?"

"Before my accident, yes." Dr. Banner's eyes seemed to be focused on his hands that were folded in his lap.

"You have degrees in medicine and physics." The host mentioned the schools Dr. Banner had attended and the degrees he received. "You were working in medical research when you had your accident. I realize that you were probably told by your lawyer not to talk about the incident at Worthington Labs. But Worthington Labs is the kind of place you would have worked at if your life took another turn, and it is a matter of public record that you were invited to tour the facility the day of the incident."

Dr. Banner nodded.

"Let's go to a commercial." Before the commercial break, the TV station showed the destroyed annex to Alcatraz where Worthington Labs was once housed. So much for unbiased reporting. It was an overhead shot and one of the people on the ground could have been Dr. Banner. Kitty could make out the glint of Ironman's red and gold suit.

After the commercial, the host mentioned his name then said, "I am here with Dr. Robert Bruce Banner also know as the Incredible Hulk. Here you are under studio lights appearing stressed and you aren't green. You teach, so you must have it under control."

"I take medication," said Dr. Banner. "I've also studied yoga and meditation."

"You're here to tell your story. What would you like to tell the audience?"

"That most of the time I'm an ordinary person. I have a baby daughter, who is probably watching me, from her nanny's lap. Hi, Dagmar." Dr. Banner waved to the camera.

Kitty helped Dagmar wave back.

"I play peek-a-boo with my daughter, ride my motorcycle and hang out at farmer's markets. I love to cook. I can talk for hours about the heirloom tomatoes you can find in and around West Chester. I simply have a medical condition that causes my body to react in a unique way to anger and other strong emotions."

"We all seen the news about the Hulk," said the host. "This was the first time eyewitnesses watched you change. Does it hurt?"

"No," said Dr. Banner. "All I can feel when I change is my anger, fear or another strong emotion. It's like my mind is flooded with rage. No pain."

"Do you remember being the Hulk?"

"I remember the feelings associated with it, but if all the Hulk is thinking is rage, smash, smash, more rage, that's all I remember. The Hulk and I are two people sharing the same body. The medicine I'm taking quiets him, but he's still in my mind. The cameras are making me nervous. I'm a private person."

"Dr. Banner, if you feel the need to leave, please, excuse yourself."

"I've felt the need to leave since before I entered the green room." Dr. Banner smiled at the camera then the host.

"Were you taking your medication when you visited Worthington Labs?" asked the host.

"Yes, but my doctor tells me that only way I can be trully Hulk-free is if I'm drugged to the point where I'm nearly unconscious. My doctor hates that he has to medicate one of the most brilliant minds on the planet to the point where I can barely think. His words, not mine. He gave me an EEG and an MRI as a precaution before medicating me. My brain has no structural abnormalities." Dr. Banner smiled. "I'm disturbingly normal."

"Why is that disturbing?"

"The anti-mutant people can say that the mutants were born that way, but I was just like anyone else before my lab accident," said Dr. Banner. That was untrue. Something was different about him that caused him to survive when he should have died, but he was making a point. "Before I changed in front of a laboratory full of eyewitnesses, all anyone saw was an socially awkward middle-aged man."

"Do your students know about your condition?"

"Yes, they know. What bothers me is some of their parents didn't know? Like all. I'm fairly certain none of my students ran home to yell, 'Guess what? Our newest teacher is the Hulk.' Now that their parents know I wonder if we're going to have a mass exodus from the school followed by me being fired. You don't see me being hired by MIT or any other big name school after this interview."

"You're medicated."

"Yes, and if the medication was perfect, I wouldn't have had the incident at Worthington Labs." That was so a lie. He became the Hulk because he invited the Hulk out to play - everyone has Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters knew that - but he couldn't admit that on TV. "At this time, for me to be Hulk-free, I need to be so stoned that I can't dress myself or put together a coherent sentence. However, maybe tomorrow, thanks to this show, someone will find a medicine that I can take to keep me from changing into the Hulk and still allow me to go through my activities of daily living."

The host said, "You never know."

"It isn't very likely," said Dr. Banner. "Pharmaceutical companies don't stay in business by creating medicines designed for a single consumer."

"Is your thinking dulled right now?"

"Yes, it is." Dr. Banner gave a small smile.

"Dr. Banner, I'm so sorry that you have to live like this."

"I went on the medication, so I could have sexual relations with my wife. My wife has since left me. Our daughter is worth much more than me losing a few IQ points. I can live with my head being a bit cloudy if it keeps everyone safe."

"I assume you are seeing a therapist."

"I've been seeing the same therapist off and on for almost four years. Hello, Dr. Rosen." Dr. Banner waved to the camera. "She's taught me to like myself and to forgive my failures in control. We all get angry and feel like hitting a pillow, punching a wall or letting out a string of curses. I can't."

"I never thought about it that way."

"After the Hulk split out the bullet I tried to swallow, I allowed myself to feel enough anger that I wouldn't have an incident, but going around angry all the time was only making me miserable. Here I am trying to locate Loki's power-source - slash - weapon and Tony Stark, Ironman, is telling me my life matters and I'm worth something."

"You didn't believe him."

Dr. Banner shook his head.

"I usually ask probing questions and, because of your condition, my hands are tied," said the host. "I can see from the way you wring your hands and look at the camera then look away that you're nervous and the green guy is just aching to make an appearance. What I'm trying to say is: There have been days when I've been stuck in traffic, had a bad day at work, had to deal with trouble at home or all three and I've lost my temper."

Dr. Banner took a deep breath then smiled at the host. "I lose my temper and I make the five o'clock news."

"Dr. Banner, why did you appear on this show?"

"Because people see the Hulk as a monster and I want people to know that most of the time I'm a normal man just doing my best to survive."

The host said, "We got emails from several universities stating they would hire you."

"But how many would let me teach? They would hide me in a lab somewhere just to say I'm on their payroll. I may no longer be a fugitive, but I'm still untouchable. I bet most people wouldn't even want me flipping burgers."

"That isn't true," said the host.

Dr. Banner stood and walked over to the host. "Then give me a hug and prove to me that I'm not untouchable."

Not only did the host hug him, but many people working behind the scenes hugged him. One lady had tears in her eyes as she hugged Dr. Banner. People were still hugging Dr. Banner when they went to the next commercial break. Kitty watched with tears in her eyes.

xxxx

Author's Note: I don't do real person fan fiction. You can imagine the unnamed non-described host is any host (real or imagined) on CNN or one of its associated stations.


	31. Chapter 31

Author's Note: This is the last chapter before the epilogue. I hope you enjoyed the story.

xxxx

Kitty shifted in her seat when they showed some stock footage of the Hulk before cutting to commercial. It appeared to be from the incident in Harlem. The roaring face of the Hulk contrasted with Dr. Banner standing in a news studio looking like his Arrid Extra Dry was failing while strangers hugged him.

After the commercial, Dr. Banner had returned to his chair.

"You're seeing a therapist, so I didn't push you about you mentioning your suicide attempt," said the host. "But I need to know, was it a suicide attempt or did you know the Hulk would save you?"

Dr. Banner said, "I'm not sure. I wanted to die at that moment, but I don't know if I thought about whether it would work or not. I wasn't thinking very clearly or I wouldn't have pulled that trigger."

"Did you ever try to kill yourself another time?"

"No, but I thought about it. I was seeing my therapist and the Hulk and I were getting better. I was more aware of being the Hulk and it terrified me." Dr. Banner touched his glasses. "I even bought the Hulk eyeglasses so he could see better. I could see better when I was him. When I learned of my wife's affair, I took more anti-psychotic drugs than a schizophrenic four times my size, so I can't go to a corner drug store and get rat poison, if I want to end it."

"I don't need to hear this."

"I can't die," said Dr. Banner. "At least, not by my hand, because the Hulk will see it coming. The last time I thought about killing myself he wouldn't let me out to act on it - the Hulk took control of our body for three years."

"Three years," repeated the host.

"He planned on forever." Dr. Banner explained. "But I escaped."

"Escaped?"

"When I crossed the rainbow bridge to return to Earth, I felt the Hulk inside my head as a separate person for the first time in years. I was separate from him, again," explained Dr. Banner. "My pregnant wife found herself married to a stranger."

"You lost me," said the host.

"My wife told Thor I keep her big green husband locked up inside me," explained Dr. Banner. "As I said due to my therapy, the Hulk and I were becoming one person. My wife fell in love with this man who kills wild animals with his bare hands and chops lumber with an axe bigger than me. I'm a science teacher that goes to farmer's markets to check out the fresh produce for fun. I'm surprised she stayed as long as she did. I, finally, like me. I'm not going to be someone else for her. She can love me for me or forget her."

"Someone will love you for you."

"Somebody does." Dr. Banner smiled - a real smile that filled his whole face.

"Did your wife know?" said the host. "I don't want to be a wet blanket, but maybe, she left you because she knew about this somebody."

Dr. Banner shrugged his shoulders. "It's possible."

"Does your somebody know about..."

Dr. Banner's smile got even bigger. "My somebody is a huge fan of the way I lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster. It's all cool."

"If you had this somebody, why did you over-medicate yourself when your wife left?"

"I didn't pull a House and swallow half a pill bottle," said Dr. Banner. "I got a prescription for a one time dose from my doctor. Before I went on medication, my doctor and I agreed I would do no self-prescribing. That means I have to call him and say I need drugs and he gets to say no."

"People must have a hard time saying no to you?"

"My friends tell me no all the time," said Dr. Banner. "However, the headmaster at the school where I work has me get the students to do their chores when they're slacking. We have a janitor/maintenance man, but chores help the students feel like it's their home, too. The students know of my condition, so the headmaster might believe they're less likely to say no to me."

"How did they find out?"

"I was helping another teacher rotate his tires and the jack broke." Dr. Banner couldn't tell the story of him touching Rogue because that wasn't his story to tell. "I, probably, would have had two broken legs, if it wasn't for the Hulk, or worse. The rest of the year, people were making jokes about cars falling on me."

"Do you take any unnecessary risks because you know the Hulk will save you?"

"I take less risks because I don't want the Hulk to make a mess," Dr. Banner replied. "Then I've jumped out of planes without a parachute because I know the Hulk will break my fall. I suppose the answer is, normally, I take less risks because I don't want the Hulk to make an appearance, but if the Hulk is going to show anyway then let the bullets fly, so to speak."

"And yet you ride a motorcycle."

"I don't like being closed in," said Dr. Banner. "Mr. Stark's Audi convertible is nice, but I don't have that kind of money."

The host smiled.

"Do you find my discomfort amusing?"

"No," said the host. "Your claustrophobia shows that you're a normal person with an extraordinary problem."

xxxx

After the show was over, the host said, "Off the record, what really happened at Worthington Labs?"

"Worthington was working on something S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't want developed and Ironman was asked to make it disappear," explained Bruce. "He used me."

"And you loved every second," said Tony.

Bruce gave Tony a dirty look. "I get fucked over and you come out smelling like a rose."

"You're the naked green guy. I'm the man in the metal suit." Tony put an arm around Bruce. "We have our roles to play."

"Tony, next time you get to be the insane person." Bruce stuck out his tongue.

"Don't show me your tongue unless you're prepared to use it," said Tony.

"You would so like that," said Bruce. "If the Hulk didn't turn that building into rumble, innocent people would have died and thousands more would have had their lives ruined. I would have played my part, even if I had to become a fugitive, again."

The host laughed. "So the government conspiracy people aren't that insane after all."

"This stays off the record," said Bruce.

"Only if I get an interview with Tony Stark," said the host.

Tony shook the host's hand. "You drive a hard bargain."

"Mr. Stark, you should have told me beforehand," said the host. "I spent the last hour nearly shitting in my pants thinking Dr. Banner could have another incident when the incident at Worthington Labs was planned."

"We didn't know if we could trust you," said Tony, "besides you nearly shitting in your pants makes good TV and adds creditability to our story. You would be amazed at Bruce's level of control. He teaches at a small prep school. He's one of six houseparents responsible for 28 teenagers. I don't know how he does it."

Bruce said, "They're good kids." They had five new students and four students were graduating that changed the total from 27 to 28. They had 5 houseparents until Cyclops or Professor X returned. Right now, they had 16 students because the three of the five new students wouldn't be starting till the fall and some of the students went home to their families for summer vacation.

"They're teenagers," said Tony. "They wanted to know the color of my underwear and if there was a Mrs. Tony Stark. A couple of those girls were threatening to clone me."

"I have this Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde thing going," said Bruce. "If I can't make mad scientist jokes with my students, who can? We won't get to cloning till the fall. However, if they want to get some extra credit over the summer, I'm all for it."

"It's a shame this is off the record," said the host. "This sounds like the better interview."

"If I still have a job, maybe, I can come back with one of my former students and we can talk science," said Bruce.

xxxx

Author's Note: Anyone, who doesn't know who House is, shame on you. Actually, my mother and I were watching House two days ago and she asked me why he was limping. And I said he's always limping; if he isn't limping, it's a dream sequence. So my mother may be the only person that doesn't watch House.


	32. Chapter 32

Epilogue

When Jean Grey died a second time as the Phoenix, Cyclops was inconsolable. All Bruce knew about _The Phoenix raising_ was what the X-Men told him and what he heard on TV, which seemed limited to her destroying her childhood home. It wasn't his place to ask Cyclops or the others about what the news didn't say. Something didn't follow because the news was acting like she was a force of nature.

As a joke, he taught his senior class cloning. They were just cloning mice. He told the class, "No cloning Mr. Stark or any other humans."

"We were just teasing him," said Lisa. "He's cool for a non-mutant."

"Out of 277 attempts only Dolly survived to adulthood," explained Bruce. "Expect a lot of dead mice."

At the rewards banquet in Stockholm, Bruce ended up telling reporters that after spending a decade on the run, he wasn't going to live in fear anymore and, if the King of Sweden could give the Nobel Prize in Physics to the Hulk, then the rest of the world could accept him. He was asked if the Hulk was dangerous. He explained, "I still have the rare incident, but I am on medication, watch my stress levels and use other precautions. I've made peace with my monster." His last incident was Worthington Labs and he had let the Hulk out on purpose. If he needed to release his built-up tension, he let the Hulk out with either Logan or Hank watching, which he did regularly. He, really, had made peace with his monster. Like before, he was remembering being the Hulk better, but it didn't frighten him this time.

After a few more days in Sweden, Bruce needed to go home to relieve Logan and Rogue of babysitting duty. Since Steve never mentioned anyone trying to kidnap Howie, Bruce figured Dagmar was as safe as any other child born to mutant parents. Howie's parents both had stable copies of the super-soldier serum while Dagmar's father was exposed to an inferior copy of super-soldier serum, meaning she was not the prize Howie was. However, Howie's mother was the Black Widow; thus, no one would be stupid enough to threaten Howie.

As promised, Bruce returned to CNN with a former student, Rogue. Dagmar walked across the set into her daddy's arms. This time they talked science and, after the fifteen minute interview (not an hour this time), the woman who cried in Bruce's arms said he looked much better this time.

"I was in a bad place when I did my first interview. My wife had just left me," explained Bruce. "I'm much happier now."

"You really fell asleep his second day teaching?" asked the woman.

"She was snoring away," said Bruce.

Rogue, holding Dagmar's hand, said, "I do not snore."

Bruce smiled. "She trained this stuffy college professor well."

"Maybe, you can get that Audi with part of the prize money," teased the woman.

"My prize money goes to Dagmar's education," said Bruce. "However, I did buy an SUV. It's electric and uses my ceramic. It's good for field trips and has a built-in child safety seat for Dagmar."

The End

Author's Note: This is the end of this series. Also I just like the name Lisa, so don't go looking for mutants named Lisa. I'm sure the muse will hit me, again, and I'll write another story. Reviews will encourage the muse to give me more plot bunnies. Hint.


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